Three Weeks
by Bellamione.luv
Summary: AU slightly dark Hermione. Hermione and Draco are forced to marry against their will. But what happens when they discover maybe they don't despise each other as much as they thought? And what happens when Hermione developes an unexpected bond with the ice queen, Narcissa Malfoy? (Dramione and Cissamione) slow going for dramione. I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER
1. Chapter 1

Three weeks

AU slightly dark Hermione.

Hermione and Draco are forced to marry against their will. But what happens when they discover maybe they don't despise each others company as much as they thought?

Characters: {Narcissa Malfoy, Hermione granger, Draco Malfoy,}Mrs. Granger, Lucius Malfoy, Mr. Granger

Setting: Malfoy Manor (mainly)

Mrs. Granger (Jean)

Mr. Granger (Wendell)

Narcissa isn't cold or caught up in blood supremacy in this fic, if she seems out of character it's because for this story I wanted her to be more motherly (but she's not afraid to say what she's thinking so sometimes she may say things that seem a little crude for her but that's just how I envisioned her for this, motherly but not refined)

Hermione isn't appalled by Draco and Draco has had a huge crush on Hermione for the entire time they were at Hogwarts. Totally AU, Draco's not quite as much of an ass as Hermione originally thought.

Third person pov

Chapter 1

 **May 21, 2010 7:37 pm**

She feels the tug of apparition as she runs. Her surroundings changing suddenly, from asphalt roads and dim street lamps to gravelly sand and heavy rain. Warm air whips across her face and blows her hair over her eyes. She doesn't know where she is going, all she knows is that she has to get away from there. She knows she can't stay at her own home anymore, her parents lied to her. They sealed her fate without even asking her how she felt about it.

Her life was about to change drastically. She was being forced into a marriage with one of her worst enemies.

She doesn't know how long she's been running, all she knows is she has to get as far away from that place as possible.

Her foot catches on a protruding rock and she stumbles to the ground. She tries to will herself to stand back up and keep going but exhaustion overcomes her body.

 **(Hermione's home)**

 **May 21, 2010 6:05 pm**

"Hermione dear, can you come down here, there's something we need to discuss with you." Her mother calls sweetly from downstairs.

"Coming mum!" She calls back as she makes her way out of her room and down the stairs. She wonders what it is her parents need to talk to her about.

She hurries down the stairs until she hears voices about halfway down, two women and a man. She wasn't expecting this, her and her parents are the only people who live here. She continues down the stairs trying to listen to the inaudible conversation taking place below her.

When she reaches the bottom step she freezes. Her wand is in her hand and pointed at the aristocratic blonde sitting in her living room before she can process her actions.

The woman flinches slightly but doesn't reciprocate her actions.

"Hermione!" Jean scolds, "What are you doing? Put that away now!"

Hermione doesn't dare lower it though, "MUM! Do you know who that is?!" She asks angrily.

Her mother sighs and rubs her temple. "Hermione- "

"What the hell is Narcissa Malfoy doing in our house?!" She demands angrily. The blonde woman looks away slowly and sighs.

"HERMIONE! That is enough!" Her father yells as he stands up quickly.

She is seething but she forces herself to calm down. Although she still doesn't lower her wand. "What is she doing here?" She asks calmly.

Narcissa looks up again, but doesn't say anything.

"She is here about an... Arrangement we made a few months ago." Her mother explains softly.

Hermione squints in confusion and lowers her wand slightly. "Arrangement? What kind of arrangement?"

All the adults in the room look to each other and share a guilty look.

Finally Narcissa speaks up, "Hermione, you must understand that it couldn't be helped." She says gently.

Hermione squints in confusion at the woman again, "What couldn't be helped? What are you talking about?" She asks suspiciously.

The adults share another guilty look and Narcissa speaks up again, "Lucius and I have made an... Arrangement, with your parents." She says vaguely.

Hermione watches her suspiciously as Narcissa stands up and walks to stand in front of her. She rests her hand softly on Hermione's shoulder, "Please understand, we didn't have a choice, and if it's any consolation, Draco isn't happy about it either." She says quietly.

"Draco?" She asks confused, "What kind of an arrangement did you make?" She asks again.

She has an idea but she is praying that she's wrong.

Narcissa pauses for a moment before looking at Hermione guiltily again, "A marriage arrangement." She says softly.

 _Marriage_? She can't wrap her head around it and everything goes foggy. Realization washes over her at what exactly is happening and she finds her voice. "No!" She exclaims suddenly. "To Draco?"

Narcissa nods and Hermione loses it, "No! No. No. No! You want me to marry _Draco_?!" She looks at Narcissa who looks away sheepishly, "No offense." Narcissa shakes her head to say it's okay. "I mean, I'm sure he's great around you, but you have to realize he bullied me for seven years! How can you expect me to marry him?! And where did this even come from?!"

"Hermione, please understand, he forced us, he said if your mother and I didn't make the unbreakable vow he would kill your mother and I _and_ you and Draco." She pleads.

"Who?! Who said that? Who would want us to get married?!" She demands.

"The Dark Lord."

"Why?! Why would he want this?!" She asks baffled.

"I don't know." Narcissa admits softly.

Hermione drops her head into her hands and Narcissa squeezes her shoulder comfortingly.

"When?" She asks looking up suddenly.

"What?" Narcissa asks confused.

"When? When do we have to be married?" She explains.

Narcissa looks at Hermione's parents quickly before taking a deep breath and saying, "Three weeks."

 _Three_ _weeks_?! Hermione fills with terror at the news. In three weeks she would be married to Draco Malfoy, one of her worst enemies. Admittedly he was growing on her a bit since their graduation from Hogwarts, but that didn't mean she wanted to marry him. She looks up at Narcissa apologetically before muttering an, "I'm sorry." And running out the front door.

The adults look at each other in panic before they all run out the door after her.

"Hermione stop!" She hears her mom call from behind her. She chances a glance behind her to see all three adults running after her. _Huh_ , she thinks, _who_ _knew_ _Narcissa_ _Malfoy_ _would_ _run_ _after_ _someone_. She laughs to herself at the situation.

The adults all watch her continue to run away before something truly bad happens. She apparates, now she could be anywhere.

The adults all stop and look at each other, "Now what?" Wendell asks, defeated.

"We just have to apparate to her, we can do it if you think of her hard enough." Narcissa explains quickly.

"Um, I don't think she really wants to see us right now, Wendell." Jean says softly.

Narcissa looks between the two of them as they share a look of sadness. She sighs as she says, "Okay, I'll go."

Jean and Wendell nod as they watch Narcissa apparate away.

 **May 21, 2010 8:45 pm**

When Narcissa appears on the rainy beach it is not what she was expecting. She was expecting some extremely remote place in London. Granted, she has no idea where they are, she sees beach houses lining a boardwalk above them.

The beach seems to be abandoned as she walks along it in search of Hermione. It must take her over an hour before she finally sees something ahead of her.

When she reaches the figure it is Hermione, she is soaking wet and passed out cold. She is curled up on her side in the fetal position. Narcissa gently roles her onto her back and tries her best to wipe the sand off her face and arms.

She quickly apparates them back to Malfoy manor and gets the young girl out of her wet clothes and into bed, after cleaning her up.

Narcissa walks downstairs to tell Lucius and the house elves that she is here.

 **May 21, 2010 8:45 pm**

 **(Malfoy Manor)**

When Hermione wakes, she doesn't know where she is. She bolts upright in the unfamiliar bed before quickly laying back down after her head spins at the quick movement. She notices she is not in her regular clothes anymore, she is in a soft black slip that barely comes to her thighs.

She stands up from the bed and looks around the large room. The sheets on the bed are a bright emerald green and the comforter is green and black with the Slytherin crest in the middle. The walls are black with a slight green undertone when the light hits them just right. The bed sits in the middle of the room against the back wall. She notices three doors in the room, one which she assumes leads to a bathroom, another to a closet, and the last she assumes will let her leave this Slytherin clad room. A bookshelf covers about half of the wall to the left of the bed and a large window takes up the rest of the wall. Directly across from the bed is a full length mirror and the door which she assumes leads to a bathroom.

She runs her fingers through her hair, trying to figure out what to do. Her hair is wet, but not from the rain she realizes, someone has washed it. She runs her fingers through it again slowly, and takes in the smell of jasmine that it radiates.

She walks in front of the mirror to see what she looks like after passing out on a beach. She notices the slip she is in is an almost sheer material and she sighs, now she really can't leave the room since there are no other clothes to be found. It takes her a moment to realize that her underclothes have disappeared and she blushes at the thought that somebody had changed her.

The door creaks open behind her and she turns around quickly to see Narcissa Malfoy standing at the entrance to the room.

"Oh good you're awake!" She says sweetly, "I brought you some clothes to change into, I'll wait outside while you change, then we can go down to the dining room."

She hands Hermione a black corset and emerald green dress to wear, and Hermione can't help but to think she's going to look like a Slytherin. Narcissa closes the door and leaves Hermione by herself to get dressed.

Once she has gotten completely dressed, minus a bra she attempts to lace up the corset only to realize she can't reach all the way up. She blushes at the thought of asking the older witch for help, but she knows she can't walk downstairs partially dressed.

She opens the door slowly and sees Narcissa waiting patiently outside the door.

"Ready?" The older witch asks politely.

"Umm, well... I couldn't really... Um... Could you? Well..." Hermione struggles for words and eventually just turns around to show her that she couldn't lace the corset all the way up.

The older witch laughs slightly at Hermione's struggle to ask for help. "Here I'll do it." She says kindly and gets to work lacing Hermione's corset.

Nimble fingers brush at her back as they slowly lace the corset. She tries her best to conceal the shiver that runs up her spine as the woman's fingers brush against her bare back, but she's pretty sure the woman noticed.

"There, all done." Narcissa says sweetly as she ties the laces at the top. "Are you ready to go downstairs?"

Hermione nods slowly, she's not really sure if she's ready but it doesn't seem like she has a choice.

When they arrive downstairs, Hermione recognizes the room as the room Bellatrix tortured her in and she shivers at the memory. She rubs the scars on her arm absentmindedly while she tries to forget what happened in this room, but Narcissa notices.

"Do they hurt?" She asks worriedly.

"What?" Hermione asks confused, as the woman pulls her from her thoughts.

"The scars... Do they hurt?" She asks again.

Hermione rubs at them again and shakes her head, "No, they don't hurt." She says reassuringly, "It's just that..." She trails off, not wanting to say what she's thinking.

"It's just what?" Narcissa probes gently, moving to stand in front of her and placing her hand on her arm softly.

"This room... It just... Holds a lot of unpleasant memories." She says softly as tears gather in her eyes.

Narcissa pulls the younger witch into a comforting hug, "Oh, Hermione. I'm sorry she did that, I'm sorry you have to live with those awful memories." She says gently, pulling away.

Hermione wipes the tears from her eyes and looks around the room. Just then Draco and Lucius walk in followed by Hermione's parents.

"Let's go sit down." Narcissa says, gently pulling at Hermione's arm.

They all settle around the table. Hermione sits next to Narcissa and across from Draco who sits by his father. Her parents sit on Draco's side of the table, because Hermione didn't want to sit by them.

Hermione tunes most of what they talk about out, she understands some of it though. Her and Draco are to be married in three weeks, she will stay here from now on and her and Draco will have to plan the wedding together.

She is just about to ask if she can go to bed when Narcissa says, "Hermione, you and Draco can share a room, so you two can go upstairs now if you'd like."

Hermione has a moment of internal panic. _They_ _want_ _her_ _to_ _stay_ _with_ _him_ _now_?! Not only does she have to marry him in three weeks but she has to stay with him now too?!

Before she can say anything Draco speaks up, "Alright, let's go Hermione." He walks around the table to wait for her as she stands up and reluctantly follows him out of the room. She looks back and receives a reassuring smile from Narcissa.

The adults all stay downstairs to talk more about their situation while Draco and Hermione retreat to their room.

 **May 21, 2010 10:00 pm**

 **(Draco's room)**

When they arrive in their room Hermione notices it is very similar to the one she woke up in earlier. They stare at each other in silence for awhile before Draco finally speaks up. "Okay look, I don't think either one of us are really happy with this arrangement am I right?"

Hermione shakes her head in agreement.

"But we are just going to have to live with it, unless we want to die. Which I'm fairly certain we want even less." He states simply.

Hermione nods again.

"Right, well... I'm tired so...

I'm going to go to bed. I guess we can just talk about this in the morning." He says plainly as he removes his shirt exposing his pale muscular stomach to her. Her eyes widen in shock and she feels the blush rise on her cheeks and she looks away. "See something you like?" He asks huskily, the blush reddens at his tone, and she tries to avert her eyes as he climbs into bed in only his boxer briefs.

"Well, aren't you coming?" He asks annoyed.

"I... I think I'll change in the bathroom." She says quickly as she hurries to the bathroom door.

"Oh no you don't!" He says as he leaps out of bed and grabs her from behind, pulling her away from the bathroom. "If we're going to be married, you're going to have to get used to being naked around me." He says as he pushes her gently towards the bed.

Suddenly she becomes very aware of the fact that all she has on is the clothes Narcissa gave her and her underwear, no bra.

The backs of her knees hit the footrest of the bed and Draco reaches around her to slowly unlace her corset.

As his fingers brush her bare back while he continues to unlace her, a familiar shiver runs down her spine. This time she can't hide it though and he smirks at the movement. As he continues to unlace her corset, he leans into her and gently presses his lips to her neck. She sighs into the touch, losing all her common sense that would normally tell her to stop this. His lips find her pulse point and suck gently, and she can't stop the soft moan that escapes her lips. He smiles against her neck as she laces her fingers in his hair.

Before she realizes it, the corset is almost all the way unlaced and she regains her senses as she pushes him away from her. "What? Got something to hide Granger?" He asks huskily.

He moves towards her again and she reaches for her wand, only to realize she has no idea where it is. Suddenly she's angry, she knows she was enjoying his actions but now that she can't find her wand the circumstances have changed. "Where is my wand?" She asks angrily.

He shrugs his shoulders and smirks, suddenly he grabs ahold of the corset and pulls it from her body. Luckily for her the dress still covers everything that needs to be covered. She gasps as the offending garment falls to the floor and she looks back to him angrily.

"Where is my wand Draco?" She asks again, her voice rising with every word.

He smirks again, and she can tell he knows exactly where it is but he just shrugs his shoulders and moves closer to her.

"Draco! Give me my wand!" She shouts. He just smiles and shakes his head. As he moves closer she yells again, but this time everyone in the house hears it. "DRACO MALFOY YOU GIVE ME MY WAND! RIGHT! NOW!"

"Or what?!" He yells back.

"I swear to god Draco if you don't tell me where it is and I find it myself I will make you regret the day you were born! SO GIVE ME MY FUCKING WAND!"

 **May 21, 2010 10:15 pm**

 **(Dining room)**

The adults had all been sitting at the dining room table, talking and drinking fire whiskey when they heard it.

Draco and Hermione had gone up to their room about fifteen minutes ago and the adults were just hoping for the best.

"DRACO MALFOY YOU GIVE ME MY WAND! RIGHT! NOW!"

The angry screams echo through the house and the adults all jump at the sudden sound.

"Or what?!" They hear him yell back.

Oh no, this can't be good, Narcissa thinks to herself. "I swear to god Draco if you don't tell me where it is and I find it myself I will make you regret the day you were born! SO GIVE ME MY FUCKING WAND!"

"Shit." Narcissa says as she realizes they made a mistake putting them together so soon. She jumps up from her seat and runs up the stairs to her son's room.

She tries to open the door only to find that it is locked, "Alohomora!" She says quickly, and flings the door open.

She had braced herself for the worst of situations, the two practically fighting to the death, Hermione finding her wand and doing exactly what she said she would. What she didn't anticipate is what actually met her eyes when she walked into that room.

Hermione pressed against the wall with her arms around Draco's neck and her legs around his waist while he kisses her angrily. Her pulling at his hair as he groans while she bites down on his bottom lip.

What. The. Fuck. That was all her mind could think about in that situation.. "Draco!" She scolds and suddenly the pair becomes aware that they are no longer alone. Hermione drops her legs and tries to straighten her dress while Draco stands in front of her to cover her exposed body, "Mum!" He says surprised, as he tries to pull on a pair of pants and a t-shirt.

"What the hell Draco?!" Narcissa yells at him and Hermione gulps loudly. Neither of them are used to hearing the blonde woman yell. "We're all downstairs trying to relax when we hear you two screaming at each other! Then I come up here and not only are you _not_ killing each other but you're _snogging_?! For god sakes Draco, pull yourself together!"

"Are you saying you want us to be trying to kill each other? Because if that's what you'd prefer then- "

"Draco." She warns and he sighs.

"I don't see what the problem is mum, I thought this is what you wanted." He says.

"No! I wanted you to get to know her! This is not what I told you to do!"

"We're trying to sort out our differences." He says defensively.

"By having angry make up sex?! Really Draco?! That is not going to solve anything!" She yells. Hermione blushes brightly at the statement, she has to admit this wasn't how she imagined the night going.

 _Damn_. Hermione thinks to herself, who knew the aristocratic pureblood matriarch could be so crude, well crude by Hermione's standards.

"Okay, okay, mum. Sorry, we'll just go take a chastity vow, then go to bed and not touch each other until the honeymoon." He says slightly teasingly. The blush rises on Hermione's cheeks again.

"Oh my god. I'm not saying don't sleep together, by all means go ahead, but not to take out your anger. You can do whatever you like just don't solve your problems by slamming each other against walls and trying to suck each others souls out. It won't solve anything."

"You talking from experience?" He asks teasingly.

"You never know Draco." She quips back. Hermione's eyes widen at this and Narcissa catches it, "I think we're making the golden girl a little uncomfortable." She says.

Draco turns and sees Hermione's wide eyes and blush and smirks, "Sexual frustration mum, she doesn't know what to think. That's okay, I'll take care of it." Narcissa laughs at her son, before turning and exiting not wanting to continue that conversation.

She closes the door behind her and Draco turns back to Hermione. "Where were we?" He asks huskily as he leans in to kiss her neck again, only to be stopped by her hand on his stomach.

"Draco, wait. We both agreed we didn't want any part of this marriage. We're only doing it to save our lives and our mothers, so why is anything different when it comes to sex?" She asks. She doesn't want to do anything if he just wants her for her body.

"Hermione, I'll admit this whole marriage thing surprised me, but to be honest... I've liked you for awhile. Who knows maybe this is a blessing in disguise."

"But weren't you dating Astoria Greengrass awhile ago." She asks nervously.

He leans in again and speaks against her neck. "Yeah, but it didn't work out. Hermione she doesn't matter, you matter." He presses his lips to her neck again and she sighs as the vibrations of his voice send chills through her body.

"Why were you always so mean to me then?" She asks defensively.

He laughs against her neck. "I was trying to flirt with you."

"You were really terrible at it." She says softly as he continues to kiss her neck.

"I know, but I swear I've gotten better at it." He pauses choosing his words carefully as he decides to push her buttons. He moves back up and hovers his lips over hers. "Especially since Astoria." He says lowly.

She goes silent and her eyes darken as she pushes her jaw forward as if to kiss him, only to pull back at the last second.

"Are you jealous?" He asks.

She pauses, looking in his eyes. "Fuck you." She whispers breathlessly.

He stares at her as his lips still hover slightly over hers.

"Yes. You are jealous." He says proudly.

"I'm never fucking jealous." She whispers and he laughs breathily against her lips. "Why do I want you so bad?" She asks softly.

"Because I want you only." He replies sexily.

"Say it again." She demands and he connects their lips. It is passionate but short as he kisses his way down her neck, moving down her body.

He lands on his knees and pushes the skirt of her dress up to her hips. She feels his hand grip her thigh and throw it over his shoulder, as he pulls her panties off of her slowly.

She gasps as his tongue darts across her clit and his mouth claims her core eagerly. His teeth brush her clit again and she moans at the pleasure overtaking her body. Her stomach coils at what he's making her feel, with just his mouth.

"Oh," she moans breathlessly as his tongue darts into her core shallowly. Her hands search for something to hold onto, and she claws at the wall as he continues his ministrations.

His free hand finds her center and he pushes one finger in slowly, she gasps as he adds another finger and begins thrusting them quickly inside her.

Her hands grasp at whatever she can find, walls, curtains, his hair. Her back arches off the wall and she grasps his hair, pushing him more firmly into her.

He adds a third finger and his thumb presses against her clit, making quick erratic circles over it.

She leans against him, trying to get as close as possible. As he feels her walls start to tighten around his fingers he pulls out and replaces them with his mouth. His tongue takes over his fingers job and plunges as far inside her as it can go.

"Oh, oh my god Draco! Don't... Don't stop... Please." She says breathlessly, on the edge of her climax.

"Hmmm..." He murmurs against her core, knowing the vibrations will drive her wild. "Hermione," he murmurs against her again and her moans grow louder at the sensations it sends through her.

"Draco... I'm gonna... I can't... Oh, oh my god! Draco... Don't... Don't stop... Please don't stop...oh..." Her breathing is ragged and he presses against her clit with his thumb.

"Come on, Hermione, come for me."

He encourages against her again, as he drags his teeth gently across her clit.

"Ohhh... Draco!" She sees stars behind her eyes as she comes with his name on her lips and he continues his actions bringing her down from her high.

He moves back up her body and kisses her deeply, she can taste herself on his tongue. "Oh my god. What did we just do?" She asks realizing she just broke all her moral codes, but she doesn't really care because, _holy_ _shit_ _if_ _she_ _had_ _to_ _be_ _with_ _him_ _for_ _the_ _rest_ _of_ _her_ _life_ _at_ _least_ _she_ _had_ that _to_ _look_ _forward_ _to_.

"Oh, Hermione there is so much you don't understand isn't there." He whispers against her lips.

"Mmm..." She murmurs as she leans into him.

She feels his hands grip her thighs and lift her off the ground, and she wraps her legs around his waist. He turns them away from the wall and walks towards the bed, still holding her.

They fall onto the bed softly and she releases a guttural moan as he grinds his hips down into hers.

 **Um, yeah. I realize it was a little fast, but that's just kind of what happened, that wasn't even my plan but that's what I ended up writing. I have never written smut before so review but please be kind.**

 **on another note, if you have ever seen the movie Flying Blind, you may have realized that I used some of the dialogue from one of the scenes. However I do not by any means own those characters or that movie, same goes for the Harry Potter characters. So Narcissa turned out a little different than I was thinking initially (she ended up being way more open than I had originally intended.)**

 **In case it wasn't clear, in this particular story, draco had a huge crush on Hermione in school he was just really really terrible at showing it.**

 **please leave reviews, they really do help and they make for faster updates.**


	2. Chapter 2

If anyone has any suggestions for this story in the future, please let me know by reviewing and I can try to work it in. If you like this story you can let me know in the reviews. If there's constructive criticism you have you can let me know in the reviews.

Chapter 2

May 22, 2010 8:15

(Draco's room)

Draco tries his best to not disturb the sleeping witch next to him as he gets out of bed, but it proves to be more difficult than it looks. Her leg is tangled in his and her head rests against his chest. As he slowly untangles himself from her, he manages to sit up in the bed before he kicks the footrest. She stirs next to him and he freezes, he watches her for a moment before standing up slowly. Letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, he walks towards the bathroom, only to trip over the dress she had been wearing the night before.

He smirks as memories from last night flash across his mind, his name on her lips, her ragged breaths, her hands in his hair. He looks back at the woman in his bed and smiles, she looks so peaceful when she sleeps.

He walks into the closet and gets dressed before making his way into the bathroom to fix his hair, and make himself look presentable.

As he looks in the mirror he feels a pair of arms wrap around his waist and Hermione's face appears in the mirror next to his as she rests her chin in his shoulder.

"You make too much noise getting out of bed you know." She whispers against his ear, a smile gracing her features.

A sheepish smile appears on his face as he rolls his eyes teasingly. "Sorry, I really tried to be quiet, I swear... I'm just clumsy I guess."

She laughs against his ear, "Hmm, only in the mornings it seems."

He smiles devilishly, and turns so they are facing each other, "What are you implying miss Granger?"

"I enjoyed last night." She says leaning up to press a chaste kiss against his lips.

"Mmm... You are quite deceptive, aren't you?"

"What?" Her brows furrow in confusion.

"Here I was, along with everyone else, thinking you were this innocent little rose... When in reality... well, you can do a lot more with that mouth of yours than just talk, can't you?" He whispers seductively and she hits his chest playfully.

"Draco!" She hisses and looks around like someone is going to hear them.

Suddenly there is a knock at the bedroom door and Draco rushes to get it, leaving Hermione standing completely naked in the bathroom, in front of the open door. She desperately looks around for somewhere to hide, before Draco opens the door and Narcissa walks in without a second thought. Hermione freezes like a deer in headlights, "Draco, where's Hermione, I thought we coul- OH!" She averts her eyes at the sight of Hermione standing in the bathroom doorway, completely exposed, frozen in shock.

Finally Hermione regains some of her sense and grabs a towel from a rack on the wall. She wraps it around herself and Narcissa looks up at her again. It's not that she was necessarily uncomfortable with the situation,

she just knew it must have been awkward for Hermione and she tries not to laugh at the girls horrified expression.

"Oh my god, Narcissa I... I don't... Um..." Her cheeks turn a brilliant shade of red and she stumbles over her words as she tries to think of a way to explain the situation.

"That's okay dear, I'll just wait for you outside." She says as she tries not to laugh at the girls obvious embarrassment. Narcissa turns and leaves the room, shaking her head at her sons blush on the way out. Narcissa Malfoy is no fool, she knows exactly why Hermione was standing so openly naked in the middle of the bathroom, and she finds it hilarious to say the least.

Once Narcissa is out of the room, Draco bursts out laughing and Hermione frowns deeply at him. "Draco," she hisses, "Your mother just saw me naked." He breaks down laughing again at the mortified expression on Hermione's face. "Shut up! How would you feel if my father had walked in on you standing there completely naked, and you didn't know what to do?!" She asks obviously terrified of what Narcissa would say when they were alone, he stops laughing at that, he would _not_ be happy if Hermione's dad saw him naked, and he tries to sympathize with her situation.

"Okay, I'm sorry," he says as she pouts at him, "Oh come on it'll be fine." He tries to sound reassuringly.

"Draco, your mother just saw me naked! Your _mother_! You know, the famous Malfoy matriarch?!" Her voice rises, "How am I supposed to face her after that? Do you realize how embarrassing that is?!" Suddenly it dawns on her that Narcissa is just outside the door and can probably hear everything she just said.

"It'll be fine, I promise, now just get dressed and go out there." He says as he tries to disguise his amusement at her panic. "She's not that scary."

"Really Draco?! Because I'm feeling pretty terrified right about now! She probably hates me now! And you may not think so, but your mother is pretty intimidating!" She shouts again. "Stop laughing!"

He breaks down again and she hits him on the chest lightly, silently telling him to shut up.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry I'll stop laughing I swear. Now go get dressed." He says pushing her gently towards the bathroom.

"Oh my god." She whispers.

"What?" He asks, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Draco, I don't have any clean clothes!" She hisses, the panic evident in her voice.

"Okay okay, calm down I'll just ask my mum, for something for you to wear." He grins at her flustered expression and bites his lip to stifle a laugh. She frowns and sighs in frustration.

He peeks his head out the door and Narcissa looks at him expectantly.

"She doesn't have any clean clothes." He explains simply.

"Oh, okay," she says as she conjures something for her to wear.

"Thanks mum." He says as he takes the robes from her and goes back inside.

"Here you go," He says as he hands her the soft cream colored robes, "She's not going to hate you now, you know. It's going to be fine." He tells her when he sees the nervousness on her face.

She sighs and looks up at him, "Thanks, I know I haven't known her very long, but if we're going to get married I really don't want my future mother in law to hate me."

"She won't, I promise. She may be pureblood but she's very open minded, it's all going to be fine." He says before he leans down and kisses her tenderly.

Once she is dressed she gathers her courage, Draco sends her a reassuring glance as she opens the door. She pauses in the doorway and turns to look at him, "Draco..." She says suddenly and he sends her a questioning look, "Where is my wand?" She asks, a hint of warning in her tone.

"I actually don't know." He says sheepishly.

"Draco..." She pleads, "Come on, give it back."

"I swear I don't have it." He says putting his hands up in surrender. She groans and turns to look at Narcissa who is standing beside her.

She blushes under the blonde woman's gaze, "Do you know where my wand is?" She asks softly.

"Yep." Narcissa replies simply as she turns around, Hermione's eyes widen at this and she looks at Draco in panic, _what_?! He just shrugs his shoulders. "You coming or not?" The older witch asks, she has stopped and is waiting patiently for her to catch up. Hermione jogs to catch up with her and falls in step beside her.

"Um, Narcissa?" She asks as they walk down the stairs.

"Yes?"

"Um, could I have my wand back please?" She asks softly as they reach the bottom of the stairs.

"Are you going to try to attack me again?" She asks, although Hermione can tell she isn't really worried about that.

Her cheeks flush in embarrassment at the memory, "No." She answers softly.

Narcissa watches her for a minute before she reaches into her sleeve and pulls out Hermione's wand, "Alright then." She says as she hands it to her.

"Thank you." She says in a small voice. "Oh, and... I'm really sorry for how I reacted when I saw you in our living room, it's just that... Well if history can speak for itself, things tend to go wrong when we're around each other." A bright blush covers her cheeks and her neck heats up as well.

"That's alright dear, you're right though bad things tend to happen to you around us, don't they?" She looks almost guilty and a soft laugh escapes Hermione as she nods.

They walk in silence for awhile before Narcissa speaks up, "So you care what the famous Malfoy matriarch thinks about her future daughter in law, do you?" Narcissa refers to herself the way Hermione had earlier.

Her cheeks turn pink again as her eyebrows furrow and she groans internally, she had desperately wanted to avoid the topic of Narcissa walking in on her naked. "Erm... You heard that huh?" She asks nervously and Narcissa laughs lightly.

"You talk rather loud when you're flustered Hermione." She says, grinning.

"This morning, I... I don't..." She struggles to find the words she's looking for, the way she seems to always do around this woman.

"Oh come on Hermione, really? There's no need to be so embarrassed. I am quite familiar with the female anatomy, you know." She says gesturing to her body.

"Well yes, that's not what I meant though... It's just that, well after last night I don't... I just seem to be making a fool of myself around you." She says timidly.

Narcissa just laughs.

"Could I ask you a question?"

Narcissa nods and Hermione continues, "Well, it's just that... I'm muggle born and I was surprised that none of you have, well treated me like it really... I guess, if that makes sense. I understand you had to make the unbreakable vow but I'm still confused as to why you have all been so kind to me. Not that I don't appreciate it, I do really, I'm just surprised is all. So I guess what I'm asking is... Well, why?" She concludes.

They have stopped walking and Narcissa pauses as she watches her carefully, "I don't think I'm the right person to tell you this." She says cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asks, confused. _All I asked was why she was being so nice._

Narcissa pauses again, choosing her words carefully, "I think you should talk to your parents about that." She answers, before she turns and continues walking, leaving Hermione utterly confused.

"Wait!" She rushes to catch up with Narcissa, "I don't understand, why you can't explain it to me."

"Because it has to do with your family, and I think I should let you hash it out with your parents." She says as the continues walking.

"I hope this doesn't sound too bad Narcissa, but I really have no desire to talk to my parents right now. Not because I have to marry Draco, especially on such short notice. That doesn't bother me so much anymore, because if I had been faced with the decision of marrying him or having us all die I would marry him in a heartbeat. The problem is they didn't even consider my feelings on the matter. They just sealed my fate and sold me off like how I might react didn't matter, it was selfish." She finishes her explanation and Narcissa stops walking, surprising Hermione.

"Your parents didn't just sell you off. Do you honestly believe they didn't care how you felt about it? I can assure you they did, they didn't want you to have to marry Draco but there were lives on the line and they did what they thought was best." She scolds.

"And how long ago did all this happen?" The annoyance is clear in he voice, and she refuses to back down.

Narcissa freezes at that, Hermione has her there.

"What was it my mother said the other day, hmmm... Oh that's right... A few months. MONTHS! My parents have known for months and they didn't even try to warn me. It was just one day, 'Hermione dear we have something to discuss with you.'" She mimics her mothers voice raising it a couple octaves, as she rants, "Then suddenly my world is turned upside down, 'Hermione we are in association with some people who have bullied you and tried to kill you on multiple occasions throughout your time in the wizarding world, hope that doesn't upset you too much. Oh and by the way in three weeks you have to marry your childhood bully or we all die. Surprise!'" Sarcasm drips from her voice and she sets her face into an angry scowl. Narcissa gives her a somewhat sympathetic look before she continues. "I'm sorry Narcissa, I like you, I really do, you've been very kind to me, and right now I really feel like I can trust you. But maybe you can see where I'm coming from when I say that I really, really do not want to talk to them right now."

"Look Hermione, I want to tell you... I do, and don't get me wrong, I meddle in people's business all the time, but in this situation I really think you need to hear it from your family." Her voice is soft and she rests her hand on Hermione's shoulder comfortingly.

Hermione sighs and looks at her future mother in law sadly, "Narcissa please," she begs, "I'm not comfortable with my parents right now and I don't know what it is you want them to tell me, but do you really think I'm going to handle it better if I hear it from someone I'm uncomfortable around compared to someone I genuinely trust right now? Besides you will be my family in less that a month."

Narcissa pauses for a moment thinking over her options, and finally against her better judgement she grabs Hermione's hand and pulls her down a hallway, "Come with me."

She is dragged down corridor after corridor, darkness overtaking all of it, paintings muttering things about her. Statements and conversations about her, things she doesn't understand. ' _There she is!' 'I can't believe it, she'll be tainting the Malfoy line with her dirty blood!' 'That's not what I heard, you may want to recheck your sources.' 'Did they really find the list child?' 'Kidnapped at birth! Was a shame really.' 'And to think she grew up a mudblood! What a surprise for her. 'I can't believe they found her after all this time, the whole family should feel honored to have her marry in.'_

The voices filled the halls as they walk past them. "Narcissa what are they talking about?" She asks confused as the voices continue to echo around them.

' _Does she even know?' 'No. I think she's the last to find out really.' 'That's too bad, poor thing, being left out of her own history.'_

"Just ignore them Hermione," The older witch says as she pulls her into a dark room, away from the portraits.

"Narcissa what was all that about, who were they talking about, what is going on?" Her voice quivers in fear, what were all those portraits talking about?!

However Narcissa doesn't answer she just stays silent, leaving Hermione to wonder. She can't make out any details of the room in the darkness and suddenly Narcissa lets go of her hand and walks off to a corner. A minute later she returns with a large leatherback book and takes her hand again, pulling her back down the corridors.

More whispering, mostly the same things, she tries to ignore them and finally she is pulled into the library. Narcissa leads her to a table and releases her hand. "Sit." Hermione does as she's told, as the older witch disappears for what seems like an hour, but is really closer to fifteen minutes. Finally she returns with a pile of books and a small bottle, she drops the books on the table, sitting down next to Hermione.

"Narcissa what is this all about?" She questions again.

"I'm about to show you... But Hermione you need to be prepared, it will likely come as quite a shock to you. Just, try to keep an open mind." Narcissa eyes her, carefully as if debating if she should really do this or not.

Making up her mind, Narcissa conjures a pensieve and empties the contents of the small bottle into it.

"All we have to do is place our hands inside and we will be able to see the memory, and Hermione... this could be a bit disturbing to you." She warns, but Hermione just nods and holds her hand out.

Sighing, Narcissa takes her hand and they put their hands in together.

Cold. That's the first thing she notices, it's cold and dark. The room appears to be some kind of drawing room but it is musty and damp like it hasn't been used in years. The sound of a baby crying draws her attention away from the atmosphere of the room and towards a young woman gently rocking a baby in her arms and trying desperately to calm it. "Shh... I know, I know, it's alright. I'm here, mommas here, I've got you."

"Narcissa what is this? Why have you brought me here?" Hermione questions her, but the woman just shushes her and keeps watching.

A shrill scream pierces the air and the woman falls to the ground, writhing in pain. She holds onto the baby until she gets to the ground, pushing it as far away as possible as so not to hurt it. Heart wrenching sobs fill the air as she convulses on the ground, they hear double doors slam behind them and a tall man with a lean figure storms in, his dirty blonde shaggy hair flying around his face, shielding it as he walks. He is followed by another man, who is of a similar build but has dark brown hair and a clean cut, he appears to be quite a bit younger than his partner.

Their wands are out and pointed at the woman on the floor, it's then that Hermione gets a good look at her.

Dark curly hair, fair complexion, soft hazel eyes, thin build, and freckles. The bile rises in the back of her throat and she struggles to push it down as her eyes widen in realization.

Screams slice through the air, and the light haired man motions to her, "Get the child!"

"NO! No! I won't let you take her!" The woman screams back.

"Crucio!" More screams as Hermione struggles to fight back tears.

"Oh my god! Narcissa that's-"

"Shush!" She hisses.

He lifts the curse and the dark haired man rushes over to her and carries the baby away. "No! No, bring her back! Give me my baby!"

"Kill her." He says nonchalantly as he turns to leave.

"No! Please! Bring her back! Hermione!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

More screams fill the air, but now they are coming from Hermione as she watches the scene in horror.

The blonde man slumps to the ground as the dark haired man turns back to the woman. "Obliviate."

As he turns to face them, Hermione finally sees his face. _Dad?_

 **umm, yeah, I don't know, I have an idea where this is going but I have no clue how long it will last, let me know what you think... Good, bad, ugly, leave reviews, your criticism is sooo helpful. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**hiiii! I've had a lot going on so I haven't had a lot of time to write but I was almost completely free today so I worked on this, a giant chunk got deleted out of the middle *cries* it just disappeared, I rewrote it as best I could but... I'm pretty sure the original was better. Let me know what you think by reviewing, I promise they help. This chapter isn't as long as the first two but they should still generally be about that length this one just wasn't. Okay I think that's all I have to say for now enjoy!**

 **May 22, 2010 10:00 am**

 **(Library)**

Suddenly she is pulled back to reality and tears stream down her face as she sits in the library. Narcissa watches her sadly and gently rests a hand on her shoulder.

"Why did you show me that?" She asks brokenly.

"Hermione... I know it's a lot to take in..." She starts as Hermione's head jerks towards her.

"A lot to take in?! Narcissa, those were my parents! My dad killed someone! Yeah, it was a lot to fucking take in! What the hell was that?!" Her voice cracks but she refuses to wipe the tears away as she stares down the older witch.

Nothing. "What, do you not have an answer? I ask you why you're so nice to me and you start talking about needing to ask my parents about it? Then you show me that! That man was torturing my mom... Then my dad killed him!"

"Hermione, you aren't muggle-born." _No, really? Way to dodge everything I just said Narcissa._

"No shit! He had a wand... and he used it! He has magic! My dad! Are they even my real parents?!" Angry tears continue to fall as she watches Narcissa, appalled at the situation.

"Yes, Hermione they are your real parents and yes, they have magic but, it's not their fault." She says softly, trying to calm the young witch down.

"How is it not their fault? They have magic and they never told me!"

"I understand this is hard for you but you should really hear them out."

"You understand? Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize _you_ grew up thinking your parents were muggles and being looked down upon for it, not to mention having people wish you were dead all the time!" The sarcasm drips from her voice and Narcissa frowns.

"Hermione, that's not what I meant, and no it isn't your parents fault because they didn't even know they had magic." She explains, her patience slowly draining.

"What do you mean they didn't know? How could they not know?" She asks suspiciously.

"Your parents memories were obliviated. They made the choice to live as muggles and their parents couldn't risk them remembering anything about the magical world."

"Couldn't? Or wouldn't?" She asks angrily as Narcissa sighs.

"Wouldn't. They didn't want to live with the shame of having children who didn't believe the same thing as them. To have children who didn't agree with their views on pureblood supremacy. Especially when they so openly defied their beliefs."

"Their families views? Why would their families have views on pureblood supremacy unless they agreed with them? And why would they agree with them unless..." Her voice trails off as she realizes what is happening.

"Yes Hermione, you're parents were from pureblood families, which would mean... you are pureblood as well."

Her face falls and she slumps into the chair as she takes it all in. "So, they left with me after their memories were gone, but... Those paintings said I was kidnapped at birth, but I was with my parents. What did they mean by that?"

"Your grandparents agreed that once your parents were gone they would claim the baby had been kidnapped and your parents were killed trying to protect you. They couldn't bear the shame of having to say they disowned their children." She explained softly.

"They couldn't bear it? They stole my parents memories because they didn't agree with their beliefs, but they couldn't bear others knowing? They should have at least taken responsibility for their actions!"

"Hermione you don't understand, they didn't want to just disown their children. But they weren't willing to fall from grace either. They made their choice, no matter how misguided it may be, they believed they did the right thing."

"You're right, I don't understand. I don't understand why I had to deal with everything that I dealt with. I was always bullied and people were always trying to kill me! I didn't ask for that! I didn't want that! But I would take that over this life any day!" Narcissa frowns at that.

"What do you mean by that Hermione?" She asks suspiciously.

"I mean that I would rather deal with all that than be forced into a pureblood family who has such screwed up priorities. Who would disown their children because they didn't have the same beliefs. How could parents do that to their children? How can I be a part of that when I've experienced the other side first hand. I just can't. No. I won't." There was a tone of finality to her voice that has Narcissa fearing her meaning.

"What are you saying? Are you saying you won't marry Draco?! Hermione you know what that would mean!" The terror was evident in her voice as she attempted to sway Hermione's decision, "You're talking about screwed up priorities but are you listening to yourself? You would die! _We_ would die! Are you really willing to let people die to stay out of a family you don't like. How is that having your priorities straight?!"

"No! I won't let anyone die over this. I'm not an idiot, I just... I'm seventeen years old and I'm saying things before I fully understand what they mean. No, I won't let any of us die over this, you know that but... How long have you known about this Narcissa?"

She sighs as she looks at Hermione softly, "I've known since you started hunting horcruxes with Potter and Weasley.

A sigh escapes her as she closes her eyes trying to take it all in. She keeps her eyes closed in an attempt to convince herself this is all a bad dream and when she opens her eyes she'll be in bed with Draco and it will still be ten am. When her eyes finally flutter open she sighs in frustration, as she sees she is still in the library. "Who else know about this?" Her voice is soft and at first she wonders if Narcissa even heard her because it was so quiet. She looks up to see the older witch chewing her lip as she contemplates how to answer.

"At first I thought I was the only one who knew besides your parents... I guess technically I was for awhile but, after what happened with Bella, she found out who you really were and... Well, she doesn't hide anything from the dark lord. The news spread, Bella never was one for keeping secrets, unless it was for the dark lord. I guess he didn't tell her to stay quiet about it. Within a few weeks this entire side of the war knew. I know Dumbledore knew as well but I'm fairly certain he's the only one from your side that knows."

"This entire side of the war?" Her voice is deadly calm. "This entire side of the war knew?! How can I just now be finding this out. Why am I the last possible person to find out, out of the people who actually need to know?! And Dumbledore! I understand why you wouldn't tell me, but Dumbledore? Why would he hide this from me? What did he think? That when I found out I would suddenly change all my views of the world and come over to side with Voldemort?" Narcissa flinches at the use of his name but stays silent. "Well, I wouldn't have. I'm still the same person damn it! I wouldn't have just up and left because of this!" Her breathing becomes frantic and her eyes dart around the room looking for a way out. "This is too much... I can't deal with this right now." She says as she rushes out of the library.

Narcissa is right behind her, trying to calm her down. "Hermione wait, I know this is a lot to deal with. I know it isn't fair to you, but I promise you aren't alone. Just wait a minute!"

She turns on her heels so fast, Narcissa barely has a chance to stop before running into her. They are mere inches apart and Hermione stares at her defiantly. Her face softens and a breath hitches in her throat as a sob escapes her. Comforting arms wrap around her and pull her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, I just need some time alone to process this. Harry and Ron, no matter how badly they wanted to, never knew how to console me in difficult situations. I have become accustomed to dealing with my problems alone. This is all just a lot to take in. Narcissa, I just need some time to process it all, okay?" She feels the older woman nod and pulls back slightly. Soft hands find her face and she looks up to the older witch.

"Hermione, Harry and Ron may not have known how to comfort you, but you aren't alone here. I know we don't know each other very well but I can tell we are a lot alike and I promise I will help you through this. You don't have to deal with this alone." She feels a tear roll down her cheek and Narcissa pulls her into another hug. _It's_ _nice_ , she thinks, _having someone to comfort you,_ she knows her mother loves her in her own way but they were never affectionate, she just needs someone who can be that for her.

 **May 22, 2010 5:47 pm**

 **(Draco and Hermione's room)**

She sits on the bed with her ankles crossed with a book in her hands, gingerly sipping from a glass of water as she reads.

"To kill a mockingbird? What kind of book is that? I've never heard of it." His voice pulls her from the bubble she had so conveniently created around herself. She sighs as she closes the book, looking up at him. "It's a muggle book, I wouldn't expect you to have heard of it."

"Who writes a book, simply about killing birds?" His eyebrows furrow and nose crinkles at the thought of a muggle book.

"It isn't about killing birds!" She snaps at him.

He recoils in surprise at her outburst, and sits down next to her on the bed. "What's wrong?" he asks, he genuinely sounds concerned, she thinks.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Her voice is hostile and he knows he should give her space, but he has never been one to do what he knew he should.

"No, you're not." He presses, "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Her icy glare answers for her and he sighs in frustration. "I'll take that as a yes, but I can't fix it if I don't know what I did."

"It isn't what you did, it's what you didn't do."

"Okay, what didn't I do?" He asks.

"You know what, it doesn't matter, just forget it."

"Hermione-"

"-I said just forget it!" She snaps.

He sighs as he turns and stands to leave only to be stopped by her voice.

"I just think it's funny," He rolls his eyes, typical Hermione, "how you knew who I really was and thought it was a good plan to _not_ tell me."

"You know about that?" He asks sheepishly.

"Yes. I know about that." She mimics him as she stands up to face him.

"How? Did your parents tell you?"

"No, I found out from your mother." She says defiantly.

"What?! She had no right to tell you that? I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

She squints at him as if she's trying to tell if he's serious or not. "You _should_ be sorry. But not for her, all she did was tell me the truth. Which is more than can be said for you."

"I'm sorry, you had to find out like this but she can't just go around telling secrets that aren't hers to tell. She's always meddling in everyone's lives and it has to end. You should have found out from your parents."

"Yeah? Well you know what Draco, I asked her. And she tried to tell me to talk to my parents about it but I convinced her to tell me. So don't you dare talk bad about her, because she was the only one who was honest with me. And as for her telling secrets that aren't hers to tell, it shouldn't have been a secret from me anyway." Her voice rises and she turns her back to him.

"Your parents should have told you sooner, but that doesn't mean that she can tell you, even if you ask. If you had talked to your parents about it I'm sure they would have told you. Plus they would have been able to help you through it and comfort you, when you realized what was happening."

"Comfort me?" Her voice is low and she turns to face him slowly. "They would have been able to comfort me?! I'm sorry Draco, but you don't know a damn thing about my parents if you think they would have been able to comfort me."

"Hermione I'm sure-"

"-of what? What are you sure of Draco? You don't know them, you may think you do but I promise you don't. Do you know what they would have done when I started crying? They would have handed me a tissue, patted my back, then said it wasn't that big of a deal and I would learn to live with it. So as far as I'm concerned Draco, your mother was the perfect person to tell me. So until you actually understand what you're talking about, stop trying to make her into the villain, and just butt out!" The door slams behind her as she storms out of the room.

 **Yeah, okay I know there are a lot of holes in the storyline right now, they will be filled in eventually... Ummm so I know I haven't really established when exactly this is taking place, I know 2010 isn't the correct year but for some reason I felt like that was the year I wanted to go with... Literally no clue why, there wasn't a good reason but that's what happened soo... But basically this is after the battle at Hogwarts, there's a catch though. Some people aren't exactly dead, not saying who but when they show up later... That's why. Sorry? Maybe? :) Okkiiieee reviews? Please? Constructive criticism is soooo welcome, it's helpful I swear.**


	4. Chapter 4

***TRIGGER WARNING***

 **This chapter contains talk of abuse and rape. It's nothing graphic but if that is going to bother you it is in the second section at 7:00 pm.**

 **I uploaded this chapter earlier today and it got screwed up so i deleted it and am now reuploading it. I am sorry to those of you lovely readers who tried to eat it and it was not in the correct format. My computer has been giving me trouble for days, this chapter should have been up on friday but the struggle was real, so I'm sorry about that.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own any recognizable characters or Harry Potter in any way, they all belong to J.K. Rowling.**

 **Remember this story is AU so it doesn't follow the canon. Enjoy!**

 **May 22, 2010 6:00 pm**

 **(Dining room)**

Dinner is... Tense to say the least. Hermione refuses to speak to her parents, when they try to make conversation. She tries to avoid everyone but Narcissa, in her mind, she is the only trustworthy person there.

"Hermione, I know it's only been one day but, how is everything going for you so far?" Jean's voice breaks the silence, but it doesn't make the atmosphere any less awkward.

Hermione grimaces as she purposefully takes a large bite of meat to avoid speaking. Jean nods and looks away, sensing the tension in the room.

"Is something bothering you Hermione?" Lucius speaks up and meets her eyes.

She swallows her food and shakes her head, smiling, "No, I'm fine, thank you." He nods, silently telling her it was no problem and the room falls silent again.

"So, Hermione, are you planning to go back to school next year? I believe Minerva said they were going to allow last years seventh years who fought in the war to come back for an extra year." Narcissa tries to break the tension by redirecting the subject to school.

Hermione turns to her and smiles politely, "I'm not really sure yet. I've thought about it, I would like to take my N.E.W.T.s, it would open up my options after graduation. It's just that so much has happened in the past year, I don't know if I could really go back or not." Her answer is polite and she makes it clear she has no problem speaking to Narcissa.

"So you may not go back next year? I understand you've been through a lot there, but would you really not go back because of it?" Her fathers voice is disapproving and Hermione's icy glare shuts him up immediately. She isn't the only one who responds badly to this though, Draco and Narcissa's heads simultaneously jerk towards him and Hermione is the first to speak.

"There was a war!" She spits out, the disgust evident in her voice, "People died! So yes, I would really decide to not go back because of it. Just because _you_ gave up your magic to live as muggles and had your memories erased doesn't mean everyone else did." Everyone froze at that but she kept going, "I saw people die! I saw my friends die! And while you may have seen that at one point too, my memories are fresher in my mind so don't you dare judge me for my decisions. Just because you didn't have the balls to stick around and deal with reality, and face the fact that eventually I would find out the truth!" _Whoa, that went to a whole different place than I meant it to…_ She looks around as everyone's jaws drop. She knows her parents memories have been restored so it isn't a shock to them, but it is a shock that she knows.

"How did you find out about that?" Jean asks, her voice is soft and it's as if she is afraid to hear the answer.

"Does it really matter? I know now anyway."

"Yes, it does matter." Wendell answers angrily, "It matters who thought it was their job to tell you our secrets. They can't just get away with this."

"There's nothing to get away with. You should have told me in the first place, then I wouldn't have had to find out from someone else. If anyone is at fault here, it's you, so I won't tell you who it was because it's not really any of your business! Just like my life isn't any of your business anymore, I don't want to have anything to do with you!"

"Hermione!" Her mothers voice is scared at what she is saying.

"It was _her_ wasn't it?" Her father points to Narcissa and sneers in disgust, "Don't deny it, she was the only person you would really talk to tonight. Of course the Malfoy matriarch would be the one to meddle in someone else's business. You say we're at fault, but she's the one who told you something she knew would change your life forever. She should be the one you're angry at."

"Well she's not!" She shouts angrily, "Narcissa has been the only person who has been completely honest with me since I got here. Sure, it's only been one day but at least she hasn't been lying to me like everyone else has! How dare you insult her, are you trying to shift some of my anger to her? Maybe in an attempt to make me forget everything you've done in the past. Trying to pass off the blame to someone who did the right thing is just pathetic." She scoffs at them, "You know what, I can't even look at you." She walks towards the door and Narcissa glares at them as she follows.

 **May 22, 2010 7:00 pm**

 **(Family room)**

Hermione slumps onto the couch, tears rolling down her face as Narcissa scoots closer to her. "Hermione... I know you're angry at your parents right now, but maybe you should try to talk to them. If not your dad then your mother. I know what I'm talking about on this one, she doesn't want to see you hurting. She will try to help you through this." Hermione's face is buried in her hands and Narcissa rubs her back comfortingly.

"She never did before." Her voice is almost empty as she looks up from her hands.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not some innocent little Gryffindor princess, I've seen my fair share of pain too you know."

"I know that Hermione, you have seen more of this war than someone your age should have."

"No, not just the war, I've seen more suffering and dealt with more than _most_ seventeen year olds would think possible. Even before Hogwarts, I haven't had the best home life, I'm just good at hiding my feelings from people. You might not believe that because you've seen me cry twice today but sometimes it just gets to be too much."

Sensing that Hermione has more to say she stays silent, waiting for her to continue. She takes a deep breath and it hitches in her throat as she tries to fight the tears, "You can ask anyone and they'll say I'm happy and I just enjoy burying my nose in a book. That I like reading and researching in my free time. But none of them would ever consider that it is just my outlet, it's where I escape to. The library... Because it's quiet, gives me privacy to think and I bury my pain in the books. Sure I enjoy it, but mainly because I know the books won't hurt me and they can't judge my flaws." She laughs bitterly as she pauses considering something, "Who would have thought, the brains of the golden trio, suffers from depression. There's so much they don't understand though, and I don't try to make them. I always prepare myself for the worst possible outcome because I'm just tired of getting hurt. I don't expect anyone to understand, I just shut them out and don't tell them how I'm feeling. I guess I just think if they don't know, they can't use it against me. That's how it works I guess... No expectations, no disappointments." Her voice is melancholic and Narcissa watches her try to push the pain from her eyes. Her meaning is cryptic but she can tell her pain is real. _What on earth happened to make her this closed off to the world?_ She wonders, _she always seems so happy._

"Hermione, I don't..." She trails off, _how do I respond to this?_

"Cryptic, I know... You don't have to say anything, I know you don't know what to say, no one does. That's why I don't tell anyone about my depression, they just think I'm weak."

"Depression is not a sign of weakness, it just means you've been strong for too long. I don't know what has happened to you Hermione, but I swear I am here for you, you can always come to me. Please remember that." Her voice is firm and Hermione can tell she is serious about this.

"Thank you, I just... I've never talked about it with anyone." She says softly.

"That's alright Hermione, take your time."

She sighs heavily, deciding if she should actually tell her or not. _I know I don't know her very well, but I need to tell someone, and she has been good to me so far._ She talks slowly, giving Narcissa time to take in everything she's saying. "My mother… well she loves me in her own way I guess. We were never affectionate though, we never really did anything together. I act like we're close, to throw people off the trail. Maybe I shouldn't, maybe I should have gotten help when it was an option, but it's too late now. Her 'love' for me was more out of obligation than actual love. She said it because she thought she had to, not because she actually felt it. I know it doesn't seem like something that would force someone into severe depression, but she's only part of it.

"My father is the real problem… he never was kind. Outside of our home he appears to be the perfect father, the perfect husband, but people don't really see him. Everyone says he's a great man and that I am lucky to have him, but it's all an act. It's just a mask he wears. This facade he puts on for the world, it's good too, everyone believes it, but it isn't real. In reality erm… he drinks… a lot. He's an angry drunk too, but he is hopelessly in love with my mother, he would never lay a harmful hand on her. I'm different though." She pauses, Narcissa nods for her to continue and she takes a deep breath. _Just breath granger._

"It started out just as verbal abuse, he would tell me I was worthless, that nobody loved me, I was just a waste of his time. Things like that, I know it doesn't seem like much, but coming from my father, it hurt.

"That was when I was about six years old. I didn't really understand it, but I knew it wasn't good. I was afraid to tell anyone about it though, I thought it would only make things worse. That was it for awhile, just him putting me down, but as I got older it started getting worse." She pauses as tears brim in her eyes, remembering a particularly bad moment. _Breathe, just breathe, you're safe here._

Narcissa senses Hermione's reluctance and takes her hand, "Hermione, look at me. You should never waste your feelings on people who don't value them, but sometimes you just need a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on. I can be that for you Hermione. I know I make myself out to be the icy Malfoy matriarch in public, but I am a mother too. You can trust me Hermione, you don't have to tell me anything else if you don't want to, but I am here for you. I want to help you, because _I do_ value your feelings and I really hope that someday you can find a home with my family, despite our past."

Hermione nods and Narcissa gives her hand a reassuring squeeze as she continues.

"On my eighth birthday he… erm, he…" She stops, taking a deep breath, blinking back the tears, "He changed, he bought me a big cake and invited over all my friends, bought me everything I wanted for my birthday. He was so nice to me and I thought… I thought maybe he did love me after all. That night after all my friends were gone, he came into my room to tuck me in. He said he loved me and I was just so happy, because he meant it, I could tell. I gave him this huge hug and he kissed me on the cheek. It was so innocent, and I laid down and he said it again. He said 'Hermione I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you in a way no father is supposed to love their daughter.'" Narcissa gasps as she realizes what is happening and tears rush to her eyes as her hand covers her mouth.

"I didn't understand it, I was just happy he finally loved me so I said, 'I love you too daddy, I love you so much', I was so naive. It was such a beautiful moment for me, until it took a turn for the worst. He grabbed my throat and shoved his hand over my mouth, I didn't understand what was happening. I thought he loved me but he was hurting me. He undid his trousers and… shoved his hand up my nightgown… erm… I struggled to get away, that's not how I wanted him to love me, but that's what I got. I was eight years old." Tears stream down Narcissa's face at the thought of this poor girl having to go through that, Hermione is crying too, but her voice is cold and devoid of any emotion. As if she was completely numb to the story at this point. Her voice is empty, like it doesn't even phase her, which only makes it worse.

"It didn't stop, after that night it only got worse, especially when he was drunk. He would hit me, only where it could be covered up though, sometimes he would use things to hit me with. Once, when he was totally sloshed he took the iron poker out of the fire and dragged it across my stomach. I still have the scars from that, that was the night I got my letter from Hogwarts. All I remember is thinking, 'I can't wait to get out of here'"

"Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry, he will never be able to hurt you again, I swear it." She pulls the young witch into a tight hug and she finally breaks down. _Oh my god, I didn't realize I would react like this. I guess she really was the right person to tell._ She rubs her back softly as the girl cries, suddenly a question comes to her mind that fills her with anger, she keeps it out of her voice though, "Hermione… where was your mother when all of this was happening?"

Another sob escapes Hermione as she holds onto the older witch as if her life depends on it, "S-she was, a-ab-sent… w-watch-ing from the si-del-ine-s. Sh-e ne-ver tri-ed to he-lp, sh-she did-n't ca-care."

They stay like that for nearly an hour, Hermione crying into Narcissa's shoulder, while she rubs her back and holds her. Eventually her breathing slows and the young witch falls asleep in Narcissa's arms. She decides it is best not to move, and just let the girl sleep so she moves a pillow behind her back and falls asleep with her. _Oh Hermione, I am so sorry. He will never hurt you again, I'll make sure of it._

 **May 23, 2010 11:00 am**

 **(Family room)**

Narcissa is the first to wake, with Hermione still leaning against her shoulder clinging to her for dear life. The previous night's discussion rushes back into her mind and her heart drops. This girl has seen more pain in seventeen years than _most_ people see in their lifetime. Gently she shakes the younger woman and Hermione stirs, she grunts her disapproval at being woken but her eyes flicker open anyway.

"Narcissa?" She is obviously confused until she realizes she must have fallen asleep on her the night before, "Oh no, I fell asleep on you, I'm sorry I- Oh no I stained your robes! I'm so sorry I didn't… I don't, oh my gosh." She hangs her head sheepishly and fiddles with her hands. _Really Hermione? She comforts you, then you cry on her shoulder and stain her robes! Quite the impression you're making, this is not how you make someone like you!_ Narcissa chuckles and places her fingers under the girls chin, lifting her face so their eyes meet.

"It's perfectly alright Hermione… I am a mother, I have had much worse on my robes I assure you." Hermione smiles at that.

Both their heads turn to look at the entryway to the family room as the doors open. Draco steps in, a scowl on his face. He addresses Hermione crossly, "You never came to bed last night."

"I'm sorry… I just had some stuff to work through." Her response is vague and it is obvious she isn't too sorry about it.

"Stuff?" He asks, a grimace forming on his face, "What kind of stuff?"

"I… um… I don't want to talk about it." _I don't want to talk to_ you _about it._

"But you'll tell my mother?" _Why is he acting like that?_

"Draco." Narcissa's tone has a hint of warning to it as she says, "Leave it alone." _She's really gorgeous when she's mad. Wait. What?! Hermione, what the hell!_

Draco huffs his disapproval but doesn't say anything else about it. "You missed breakfast, Evie says she'll bring you lunch when you're ready." Evie?

"Evie is our house elf Hermione." Narcissa explains and a surge of rage rushes through her, she thinks of S.P.E.W. and she can't help wondering if she can free this elf. _Whoa, don't get ahead of yourself. You can't just waltz into their home cry on Narcissa's shoulder then free their house elf. Just slow your role Hermione._

Hermione is pulled from her thoughts as an owl swoops into the room with a letter addressed to Hermione.

As she reads the letter a look crosses her face that neither Narcissa nor Draco can decipher. As she finishes reading she purses her lips and a look of dread is planted on her face.

"What is it?" Narcissa's voice pulls her out of her trance. _God, even her voice is attractive, how did I not notice this before? Stop that, you're about to marry her son._ She has a small internal battle wth herself, before looking up and putting on the mask she has gotten so used to wearing.

"It's from Harry, he wants to see me. He's at the burrow with Ron. How am I supposed to explain this to him? I don't even know everything yet, let alone understand it." A look of sympathy crosses Narcissa's face and Draco makes himself scarce, realizing they want privacy to talk when Narcissa shoots him a look.

"Hermione, if it will make it easier, I'll go with you to talk to Harry." _I want to be close to you, I don't want to see you hurt._

"Oh, Narcissa I couldn't ask you to do that."

"It really is no problem. Plus, you may need the support, it's not exactly a secret that Harry and Ron aren't the most sympathetic people." Hermione nods at that, she knows its true.

"Okay, but I'm not sure how they'll react to seeing you." She admits.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be _thrilled_ to see you're expanding your horizons." She quips, Hermione chuckles, it's just ridiculous.

"Alright, let's go then. Get ready to meet the most closed-minded teenagers to ever walk the earth. Specifically Ron." Narcissa smiles and grips Hermione around the waist as they apparate away.

 **May 23, 2010 11:43 am**

 **(The burrow)**

"Mione', you got her quicker than I was-" Harry freezes as his eyes land on Narcissa and his wand is out immediately, followed by Ron's.

"What is she doing here?! Why are you with her?!" Ron demands angrily, his wand pointed at the blonde witch.

"Harry! Ron! Put your wands away, she is not here to hurt anyone!" Hermione scolds.

"Well, I have no reason to trust her so I will keep my wand out, thank you. Why are you with her anyway?!"

"Hermione, are you okay? Are you in any kind of trouble? Has she hurt you?" Harry questions her. _What?! I wouldn't hurt her! How dare him!_

"Harry! She hasn't done anything to me. I'm perfectly fine." She insists.

"Hermione," Harry is whispering now, "blink twice if you're being forced to say this or you're in any danger." _Really Harry, she's right there, she can still hear you,_ Hermione thinks to herself, _and she wouldn't hurt me anyway._

She squints at him, furrowing her eyebrows, giving him a look that says sometimes she worries about his mental health. "Harry, I promise you, Narcissa is not going to hurt me, I am not in any danger. We need to have a talk."

"Hermione, what is this about? We can talk, but not in front of her. She may not hurt you but I still don't trust her." Ron says coldly.

Hermione rolls her eyes, sighing at his childish response. "Is anyone else here?"

"No."

"Fine, Narcissa will stay out here while I explain what is going on."

Narcissa awkwardly takes a seat at the kitchen table as the three teens go upstairs. It's calm for awhile, as she looks around assessing the patchwork home around her. After awhile she doesn't have anything to do and she just watches the clock tick, waiting for Hermione to come back. That's when she hears it, screaming. _Oh no_ , she thinks, _I knew they wouldn't take it well. They better not try anything, I will destroy them._

 **May 23, 2010 11:57 am**

 **(2nd floor bedroom in the burrow)**

"Mione' what the hell is going on? Why have you brought that evil, conniving, Malfoy bitch into my home?" Ron asks angrily.

She takes a deep breath, gathering her courage, "I'm not a…" she pauses, not wanting to say the word, "mudblood." She grits it out.

"Of course you aren't Mione', that name is completely inaccurate. There is nothing wrong with being muggleborn, you are just as powerful as any other witch or wizard." Harry tries to reassure her.

She sighs, realizing they didn't understand her meaning, "No, I mean I'm not muggleborn… at all."

"Hermione what are you talking about?" Ron's voice sounds exasperated, and he waves her off like she's being silly. Hurt pulses through her at his reaction, _he doesn't believe me._

Harry speaks up, and the hurt washes away momentarily. "Hermione your parents are-"

"Magical. They have magic, or… they used to. It's all a little confusing."

"Hermione this doesn't really make any sense. You grow up thinking your parents are muggles, then suddenly they aren't? It's a little far fetched." Harry doesn't seem to believe her either, the hurt returns, how could they think she was making this up.

"A little far fetched? Really Harry?! Do you think I'm just making this up?"

"No, but… how did you find out about this?"

"I found out from Narcissa, that's why she's with me, she's the only person who would explain what was going on."

"Well, do you really think you can believe what she says Mione'? And why were you even with her in the first place." His voice is almost condescending and Hermione looks at the redhead in slight anger.

"I know I can believe it, my parents told me it was true."

Harry turns away from her, moving to sit on the bed, rubbing his temple. "Hermione, they could have been imperiused. There's no guarantee this is true."

"I saw my parent's memories Harry, it's true. And I can't believe you both think this is some kind of joke. I don't have some weird fantasy to be from some esteemed pureblood family. That doesn't matter to me."

"Okay okay… wait you said pureblood. Are you saying your parents were purebloods?" Ron asks, confused.

"Yes, they are."

"What families?"

"My father was the son of Morfin Gaunt and my mother was from the Selwyn family but I don't really know anything about her side yet." Narcissa had told her this after she had blown up at her in the hallway.

"Oh my god." Ron is quiet as he looks at her in shock.

"What?" Harry asks, obviously confused. Hermione knows why Ron is reacting like this though, she was supposedly kidnapped at birth, everyone thought she was dead.

"Your parents would be dead though… that doesn't make sense, they were killed trying to protect you."

"What is going on?" Harry asks, still confused, but they both ignore him.

"No, that was just what the Gaunt's and Selwyn's said to keep their names out of the mud. My parents didn't agree with the pureblood views and wanted to live as muggles. Their parents, rather than have their names dragged through the mud when people found out they disowned their children, said they died trying to protect me."

"What is going on?!" Harry demands, finally getting their attention.

"Let's go downstairs, there's more about this in some books mum keeps down there." Harry and Ron turn to leave when Hermione's voice stops them.

"Wait, there's more…" She says, stopping them from walking out the door.

"What is it Mione'?" Harry's voice is concerned, as they turn to face her again.

Hermione sighs and looks away, gathering her courage. _Maybe I should just tell them straight up… No, that's ridiculous, you know them, you know how they'd react… But it's better to be honest than to dance around the truth… You'd be protecting them… But would I really? Or would I just be protecting myself?_ She argues internally with herself, but Harry snaps his fingers in front of her face, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Mione' where are you right now? It's like you're not even here." Harry's voice is laced with concern.

"Sorry, I'm just not really sure how to explain this to you."

"Just tell us what it is. We can take it." Ron assures her.

"I know you can take it, you won't really have a choice. The problem is I know you won't be okay with it, you'll be angry with me."

"We won't be, I promise Mione', whatever's going on we'll deal with it together, like we always do." Ron sounds sincere, but Hermione knows it won't last, not once he really knows what's going on.

"I'm engaged." That's all she says and the two simple words leave them both slack-jawed. _Maybe I should have explained a little more._

"To who?" Ron's voice is laced with hurt but he does his best to disguise it.

"To be married." She elaborates.

"Yeah, we got that part." Harry says sarcastically.

"You didn't answer my question." Ron accuses.

"What was your question?" Hermione asks, feigning confusion. _Damn, now what do I do?_

"Who are you marrying, I didn't know you were dating anyone."

"I wasn't dating anyone." She says nonchalantly. _Come on Granger stop avoiding, you're going about this all the wrong way._

"Then how are you engaged? Did someone just randomly propose to you?"

"No. There was no proposal." She states simply. _Really Hermione? Just tell them!_

"What?" Harry asks suspiciously, "Hermione… who are you marrying?"

She bites her lip, _okay here goes nothing._ "Draco Malfoy." Her voice is clear as day so there is no question of if they heard her correctly or not.

Much to her surprise, it is not Ron but Harry who speaks first. His voice is calm but his eyes show how angry he is. "You're marrying Draco Malfoy." It wasn't a question but she nods anyway.

"Why the bloody hell would you do that?!" Ron demands.

"Ron I-"

"-What is it huh? Now that you realize you're 'pureblood' you're going to switch sides?! Go support Voldemort?! You think you're entitled now that you know who you are?!" _There's the Ron we all know and love,_ she thinks bitterly.

"Ronald! Do you really think I asked for this to happen? Because I didn't!"

"Then don't marry him! If you go through with this, we'll know where your true loyalties lie."

"My true loyalties?!" She screeches, she's sure Narcissa can probably hear them at this point, "I don't have a choice!"

"I doubt that! I bet you found out who your parents were and you just couldn't run to the Malfoy's doorstep fast enough!" She turns and storms out of the room, heading downstairs, Ron and Harry are right behind her. "I bet you just couldn't wait to form new alliances!"

Narcissa hears them screaming as they run down the stairs and she stands up, ready to apparate Hermione away as soon as she gets there. She is definitely not anticipating what happens next.

"Form new alliances Ronald?! Really? I can't believe you would say that!" They reach the bottom of the stairs and she glances at Narcissa. _She's beautiful, I'll get Hermione out of here, there's no way those boys are going to do anything to hurt her._ She turns her back to Ron, unable to look at him.

"Why? I should've known, you always were a gold digger! What, with the way you hung on Viktor Krum in fourth year! Why don't you just go ask your precious _daddy_ for money if you want it so bad, I know he gives you everything you want!" _How dare he say that to her! I'll kill him. You don't mess with the people I care about Ronald Weasley!_ But Hermione gets to him first.

Her wand is at his throat the second the words are out and he realizes he has crossed a line. He's not sure what it is though.

"Hermione, maybe you should lower your wand." Harry's voice is calm as his own wand slips into his hand. Narcissa catches the subtle movement and she draws hers as well, she won't leave Hermione alone in this. _Watch yourself Potter._ She tries to conceal her own anger as she remembers what Hermione said about her father.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand." Hermione says through gritted teeth, ignoring Harry completely.

"Well if that's not it, why are you marrying him then?" His voice is still angry and Hermione thinks she detects a twinge of jealousy.

"It was an unbreakable vow. My mother and Narcissa made it to save my life, Draco's, and theirs. If they hadn't… Voldemort would have killed all four of us. It was the best decision and I won't let anyone die because of what happened in the past." She makes it clear that is her final answer. _She's defending me... and my family!_

"Fine." Ron grits out, "Get out of my house. I don't associate with Malfoy's." His words are like a knife to her heart and hurt flashes across her eyes but she lowers her wand and walks to Narcissa.

Hermione turns to look at them one last time as Ron glares at her and Harry gapes in shock at the entire encounter.

"Obliviate."

Their expressions turn to confusion as Hermione and Narcissa apparate away.

 **So the reason Hermione is so open with Narcissa is because she trusts her and she has been motherly to her so far, so she just feels comfortable around her. I know Hermione's parents weren't abusive towards her in the books or movies but like I said this story does not follow the canon (obviously) so there will definitely be more explanation as to all of that.**

 **There will be dramione but it will be kind of slow going for them. I know in the first chapter it moved pretty fast but from now on it will be a fairly slow burn.**

 **I have a general idea as to where this I going but we'll see how it turns out. It could change completely because my brain hates me. Please let me know by reviewing if you have any suggestions as to how I could improve this story... Or whatever… anything you'd like to say about it. (Except hate… don't be rude. I don't have a degree in English I know I'm not great at writing but I don't need people to tell me it's terrible, if you have constructive criticism that is completely welcome, just not hate.)**

 **Thanks for reading! Leave reviews ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't have a whole lot to say right now other than my brain hates me. This chapter has some light Harry and Ron bashing. Its not exact;y bashing but, it could be perceived that way.**

 **Anyway, enough of my babble, onto the story! Enjoy!**

 **May 23, 2010 2:00pm**

 **(Bedroom in Malfoy manor)**

Her feet hit solid ground and she stumbles forward, grabbing onto the bed post for support. When she regains her balance she looks up, she's never seen this room before, but that could be because she has yet to actually explore this place.

She feels Narcissa's eyes on her and turns to the older witch. She looks as if she's having some inner battle, trying to figure out what to say.

Hermione stays silent, waiting for Narcissa to start asking questions, she knows it's coming. Hermione squirms under Narcissa's scrutinizing gaze. They stay there like that, just staring at each other, for a few minutes before Hermione finally speaks. "Narcissa…" she starts, but is stopped by the older woman, when she puts her hand up to silence her.

"What happened?" Hermione is taken aback at that. Her voice is… concerned, _why isn't she angry? She should be angry at me!_

"I don't… I don't know. I lost my temper. When he said that I just…" her breath hitches, and Narcissa grips her shoulders, pulling her into a deep hug.

"Okay, okay you're alright." She pulls back to look at Hermione but the younger witch keeps her eyes trained on the ground. "Look at me." Her fingers lift Hermione's chin so their eyes lock, just like she did earlier that day. "You didn't do anything wrong. If they don't accept your situation there is nothing you can do about it. None of this is your fault, okay? You didn't ask for any of this to happen to you, and if they can't see that then what kind of friends are they really?"

"Narcissa, you don't understand. They're all I've ever really had, they've always been around, and I may not have told them about my home life, but they know it wasn't good."

"See Hermione, that just reinforces my point. If Ron knew that your father wasn't good to you, then he never should have said what he did. He said it to hurt you, because he knew it was a sensitive subject. That isn't what friends are supposed to do."

"But… Narcissa they are my family. Maybe not by blood, but they are. Molly has practically raised me, Harry was there when I was hurting over Ron being with lavender, Ron helped me get the basilisk fang during the battle at Hogwarts. They're all I've ever had, they are my family."

"Hermione, let me explain something to you. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching- _they_ are your family. They may have done that before, but look at their reactions from today. They are not those people Hermione. Trust me, I'm sure they're great friends but when it comes right down to it, they won't choose you." Her voice isn't harsh, and Hermione thinks she should be angry at Narcissa's words but she just isn't. "I know you think you're on the good side of the war, but your side has just as much prejudice as ours. If they are forced to choose between you and keeping up appearances with their side of the war, they will leave you in an instant." Tears brim in Hermione's eyes and Narcissa wipes them away gently. _Why is she being so nice to me?_ Narcissa smiles shyly as she keeps her grip on Hermione's shoulders. _God, she's beautiful. No Granger, no. What are you thinking? Stop it. She's being nice to you and you're thinking about how attractive she is?_

"Why are you being so nice to me Narcissa? Ever since I got here, all I've done is be a complete bitch to you, but you just keep being so nice to me. You're trying to help me and I just keep yelling at you and… why?" _God, I wish I knew what you were thinking Narcissa._

"I care about you Hermione. I don't know why, I can't explain it but there's just something about you, I want to protect you. I want to keep you from the hurt this world has inflicted on you." The younger witches heart swells at that. Hermione gives her a look that Narcissa can't decipher and she fights not to look into her mind. "What's going on in that head of yours right now?" She asks. Hermione knows Narcissa is a skilled Legimins and she knows if she wanted to, she could just find out for herself.

"I'm thinking about how-" she stops herself before she reveals what she's really thinking about. _Don't say it granger, don't you dare tell her that. She's about to be your mother in law!_ "Nothing."

Narcissa frowns, _she's hiding something from you, don't use legilimency. Don't invade her privacy like that. Oh, she's gorgeous, why does she have to be marrying Draco?_

"Hermione, you know you can talk to me." She assures her.

Hermione bites her lip, _you can't tell her Granger, you're lucky she's being this nice to you. Don't scare her away._

Narcissa can see the young witch trying to shut herself down and she pulls her into another hug. _Don't push your luck, just get her to open up._

Hermione turns into the hug and nuzzles into Narcissa's neck. _Shit, she smells amazing. Don't do anything you're going to regret Granger._

Narcissa feels Hermione's mouth and nose against her pulse point and bites her tongue. _Keep it together, she doesn't like you like that. You're just a mother figure to her. Don't push it._

Narcissa pulls away, and places a gentle kiss on the younger witches cheek. _Nailed it, don't push it Narcissa don't push it._ She hears Hermione's audible hitch in her breath. _Shit, you're scaring her away. Don't do anything else._

 _She kissed my cheek. She kissed my cheek! Oh my god, can't she see what she's doing to me? I shouldn't feel like this. I'm about to marry her son. Shit._

Narcissa can't read her expression. _Great, now she's not going to want to be around me anymore. Oh, what are you thinking Hermione. Don't use legilimency, don't do it. Do not do that to her. Just don't. Oh damn, I'm gonna do it._ Narcissa looks into Hermione's mind quickly.

 _Oh my god, I can't believe she just kissed me! Okay well, it was on my cheek, but still! Oh my, she's gorgeous. Do it again. Please, do it again. No Granger, she's about to be your mother in law. Oh shit, I don't even care. Don't look down Granger,_ do not _look down._ She drags her eyes across Narcissa's figure quickly and it doesn't go unnoticed by the older witch who is still looking into her mind. _Damn, how does she still look that good after having a child. Stop it Granger, she doesn't see you like that. Oh, I want her to kiss me!_

Narcissa pulls out of Hermione's mind and quickly becomes aware of their close proximity, and how they are both breathing heavily. _She wants you to kiss her!_

Suddenly, Hermione is aware of Narcissa's hands which are still on her shoulders. One of them slips onto the back of her neck and the other makes its way around her waist as she leans down. _Oh. My. God. Is this actually happening?_ Hermione lets her eyes flutter shut as soft lips meet hers.

Hermione freezes momentarily, before she melts into the kiss and reciprocates Narcissa's actions, draping her arms around the older witch's neck. It is slow, intimate, and Hermione feels her stomach coil in desire. She sighs into the kiss as Narcissa's tongue brushes her bottom lip. Narcissa takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss as their tongues intertwine slowly.

Hermione moans softly and Narcissa smiles against her lips. Soon, they are both wanting more and the kiss becomes more demanding as their tongues battle for dominance. Suddenly Narcissa is backing them up until Hermione's back hits the bed post. Hermione's hands move from around Narcissa's neck and are roaming her body. Running up her sides, brushing lightly against her ribs, ghosting over the swells of the older witch's breasts.

Narcissa's hands work to untie Hermione's corset that she loaned her that morning when suddenly Hermione pulls back.

"Wait," she says breathlessly. "What about Draco?"

"What about him?" Narcissa presses feather light kisses along the brunettes jawline.

"Well, I'm marrying him in a few weeks. Won't this affect that?"

"You aren't married yet." Narcissa answers, making her way down her neck and Hermione smirks. It quickly fades away though as she realizes something. "But you are."

Narcissa can detect the sadness in her voice and her heart aches, she pulls back, locking eyes with the brunette. "Lucius and I don't even sleep in the same room dear, let alone do anything intimate. Haven't for years, he prefers his women young."

Hermione's eyes snap up at that, "You're young." Narcissa laughs at that, literally laughs right in her face.

"Oh dear, you're too kind. I'm old enough to be your mother, literally."

"So? That doesn't make you old." She insists and Narcissa frowns at that.

"I'm not young Hermione. But it was nice of you to say so." She tries to pull back but Hermione catches her hips.

"You're young to me Narcissa. And someday I'll prove it to you, but for now, let's just take it slow. If something is to happen between us, I don't want to rush it and screw it up. I want to make this count, because you're worth it." Narcissa stares at her in shock. _Say something woman, she just laid her feelings out for you, don't just stand there!_

Before Narcissa can about think what she is doing, she places her hands on Hermione cheeks and pulls her into a searing kiss. "Thank you Hermione, and you're right. We should take this slow, I don't want to mess up whatever this is that we have." Hermione's face breaks out into a huge smile as she pulls the older witch into her for a tight hug.

"Narcissa?" Hermione pulls back slightly looking into icy blue eyes.

"Yes?" A finger lightly brushes Hermione's cheek and her eyes flutter closed.

She sighs and squeezes her eyes shut tighter, "What am I going to do?" Her lip quivers and a soft thumb brushes over it, ceasing the slight movement.

"About what dear?" Her eyes open slowly and she chews her lip nervously.

"Draco… Harry… Ron… just everything, this is just so much to take in at one time. I mean I'm being forced into a marriage with my childhood tormentor. I am living in the house I was tortured in. I'm suddenly being told my muggle parents actually have magic. I obliviated my best friends memories of it all, and to top it all off I'm developing feelings for my fiancée's mother." She lets out a breath she didn't realized she was holding and nuzzles into Narcissa's neck again.

"You're going to do what you always do, when things get rough."

"Research?" Her voice is muffled by Narcissa's neck and it sends shivers down the blondes spine.

Narcissa chuckles at that, "No, you're going to take this in stride, keep a cool head, and you're going to save everyone but yourself like you always do. Except this time you will have someone to save you, when you can't save yourself. So while you're hiding your feelings from the world, I'll be there to draw them out of you when no ones looking. Okay? You will not deal with this alone, your friends may not accept this but you can bet I will be here for you when you need someone. Even when you don't realize it, I will be here to help you, I promise." Hermione pulls back to look at her again, her eyes betraying her disbelief.

"What are you thinking Hermione? I can practically hear the wheels turning in your head."

Hermione grins, but it quickly falls away as she bites her lip nervously.

"I just… I'm scared." She admits.

"Of what dear?" Narcissa's finger traces her cheek again, comforting the young witch. Hermione trains her eyes on the floor, thinking.

"Of you… saying you'll be here for me." Hermione's voice is weak and the admission makes Narcissa's heart ache.

"What? Why?"

"Because everyone leaves eventually." She says sadly, meeting her eyes again.

"Oh Hermione," the admission makes Narcissa's heart hurt and she pulls Hermione back into her, holding her tightly. "You don't have to worry about me leaving you. I'm here. I'm here." Her voice is reassuring and she gently pulls the brunette towards the bed. "Come here, you can stay with me tonight. I'm going to prove to you, that I'm here for you."

They lay in the middle of the king size four poster bed and Hermione curls up into Narcissa.

They lay there like that for awhile, Hermione curled into Narcissa while the blonde rubs her back, and runs her fingers through the younger witches hair.

Finally Narcissa breaks the silence, "We should probably go to dinner now, its almost six."

"Hmm, can we not?" She asks, snuggling closer to the blonde.

Narcissa laughs, "Come on dear, you need to eat." She stands up, offering her hand to the brunette who groans before taking it and standing up.

They walk to the dining room in a peaceful silence, and it doesn't go unnoticed by the other occupants of the room, how comfortable they are with each other.

 **May 23, 2010 6:30 pm**

 **(Dining room)**

"Hermione, why didn't you ever come to bed last night?" She freezes at Draco's question and stares into a glass of water.

"I just had some things to sort out." She says as she looks up from her glass.

"What could you have _possibly_ been trying to sort out that would have kept you from your fiancé all night?" Wendell asks coldly, Hermione's eyes snap towards him but she stays silent.

"I asked you a question. You may live here now, but you will always answer to me." His voice is dangerous and Hermione flinches away slightly. Narcissa catches it though and her guard is immediately up.

" _Well?_ What was it?" He snaps.

"It was personal." She answers meekly.

"I. Want. To. Know!" He raises his voice and Hermione visibly flinches away from him this time, catching the attention of everyone at the table. _He's been drinking._

"Watch yourself, Mr. Granger, Hermione may be your daughter but she is marrying our son and you are in our house." Narcissa's voice is deathly calm but there is a warning in her voice that doesn't go unnoticed by anyone.

" _Excuse_ _me?_ " He hisses.

"You heard me."

"Mr. Malfoy? I think we both know the pureblood traditions. Please keep your wife in line." He smirks at her and cocks his head to the side in slight victory.

"Actually, I quite agree with my wife. I don't appreciate your tone, you are in my home and I would kindly ask you to watch the way you speak to my family." Narcissa smiles at Hermione briefly before raising a perfect eyebrow at Wendell, who glares at her.

"Hermione, is not your family." He says through gritted teeth.

Hermione stands at that, towering over him in his sitting state. "They have been more of a family to me in the past two days than you have been for my entire life. Technically I can't force you to leave until after the wedding, because legally you have the right to stay with me. But I swear to you, the second I get the chance, you will be out of my life forever. And if you _ever,_ do anything, and I mean _anything_ to hurt any of them, I will personally put an end to your miserable existence." There is a tone of finality to her voice that tells everyone at the table that she is serious. "Please excuse me, I think I'd like to go to bed now." She straightens her shoulders as she spins on her heel and walks out of the room.

"Stupid bitch." Wendell mumbles under his breath and Narcissa scoffs at him, as she stands up to follow Hermione. Draco is close behind, following her into the family room.

They find her, curled into a ball on the couch, tears soaking her face. "Hermione?" Draco sits next to her on the couch, putting his arm around her, but she quickly pulls away. "Are you alright?" He asks, being sure not to make her uncomfortable.

Narcissa stays back, giving him a chance. "Hermione, it's going to be okay. You're safe here." He rests his hand on her back and Narcissa watches quietly.

"Narcissa." She mutters and he pulls back.

"What?" His voice is quiet, and she can hear the hurt.

"I want Narcissa." She says again and he looks back to his mother who walks towards them quickly.

"Draco," he hears his mother whisper behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder, "just go, I've got this."

"But-" he is stopped when she shakes her head slightly and he frowns, standing up and walking towards the door. He pauses turning to say something else when he sees something unexpected unfold before him.

Hermione dives onto Narcissa, her arms wrapping around her neck and her face burying in her neck. And his mother hugs her back, he watches as his mother runs her fingers through Hermione's hair, comforting her. "I know Hermione, I know." She mutters, rubbing her back. "It's okay, he can't hurt you here, I promise." Quietly he backs out of the room, being sure not to disturb them. _What in the hell?_

"Where do you want to stay tonight Hermione? With me or Draco… or we can make up your own room if you really want it." Narcissa's voice is calm, she's trying to be considerate towards the younger witch. _I won't push her to do anything she isn't comfortable with._

"You." She breathes out, "I want to stay with you."

A small smile graces her features at Hermione's words, she can't deny she's glad Hermione wants to stay with her.

"Okay." Narcissa apparates them to her room, where they were earlier and they lie in the bed, Hermione still clinging to the blonde.

"Are you alright?" Narcissa's voice is laced with worry as she holds the younger woman close to her.

"I'm fine, I kinda just want to eat some chocolate covered popcorn and watch 'White Chicks'. That always seems to cheer me up." She mumbles softly.

"You want to… watch… what?" She looks down at Hermione, completely confused.

"'White Chicks'," she looks at the blonde expectantly, "the movie?"

Narcissa shakes her head, and her eyebrows furrow, "Movie? What's a movie?"

Hermione's eyes widen in realization and smiles mischievously, "Oh that's right. Aristocratic pureblood, who has never known the pleasure of certain muggle creations." She teases.

"Hey!" She slaps Hermione's arm gently, "That's not my fault!"

"That's okay, it's not your fault you've never seen a movie. We'll have to change that of course but for now it's fine." She grins at Narcissa's confused look.

"I still don't know what a movie is."

"You'll see. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." She snuggles closer to Narcissa and the blonde huffs in annoyance, but doesn't say anything else.

It doesn't take long before Hermione is falling asleep in Narcissa's arms for the second night in a row. She looks down at the sleeping brunette and smiles, laying back and holding the young witch.

The next day goes by slowly, Narcissa has to go meet with someone, but she refuses to tell Hermione who it is.

She wants to explore the manor, but she prefers to do it when she knows Narcissa will be around. She doesn't want to have any accidental encounters with the home's other inhabitants.

So instead of exploring, she makes her way to the library. Finding a secluded corner in the back of the library she hides herself away for the day.

 **May 24, 2010 5:45 pm**

 **(Library)**

Narcissa smiles at the sight before her, Hermione is curled up asleep in a chair, surrounded by books. She has been looking for her for nearly an hour, for some reason she hadn't thought to check the library first. She should have known.

She is in muggle clothes today, ripped light wash jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt that says, 'Shopping is my cardio'. Hermione likes to shop? No wonder we get along so well.

Tiptoeing to the brunette, she places a kiss on her forehead, "Wake up sleepyhead, it's time for dinner." Hermione stirs lightly and her eyes flutter open.

She rubs her eyes and scrunches her nose, waking herself up as she yawns and stretches her arms above her head. "What's going on?" She asks tiredly.

"It's five forty-five, are you hungry?"

"Not really, I would prefer to avoid my parents tonight."

Narcissa knows she should tell Hermione to go anyway, but she can't bring herself to make Hermione be around them. "Okay, I'll have Evie bring our food to my room."

"Oh, Narcissa you don't have to do that. You can eat with everyone else, I don't mind eating alone."

"Do you not want to eat with me?" She asks, slightly hurt.

"What? No no, I do! I just don't want to make you eat away from your family."

Narcissa smiles at that, "It's perfectly fine, to be completerly honest… I'd actually prefer to eat with you. It gets tiring, eating with only men for the majority of your life."

"Alright, we'll eat together then." Hermione grins at the older witch and they apparate to Narcissa's room.

 **May 24, 2010 9:00 pm**

 **(Narcissa's room)**

They never did eat dinner. They expected to go to Narcissa's room, talk, eat dinner, talk some more, then maybe go to sleep. Neither of them were prepared for what actually happened.

~ **5:55 pm ~**

Hermione trips on a sheet that had fallen on the ground that morning, efficiently landing right in Narcissa's arms. Her face presses against the blondes neck and she wraps her arms around her for support. When she looks up, she catches Narcissa's eyes, quickly getting lost in the icy blue orbs.

Before she can think about what she is doing she leans up and captures her lips in a passionate kiss.

Narcissa pulls back, gasping for air, "What was that for?"

"I don't know, I just really felt the need to do that." She says breathlessly.

"I see…"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assu-"

"I wasn't complaining." The blonde smirks and leans down, pressing their lips together for another kiss.

"Oh." Hermione grins up at her as they break apart again. "That's good, because I wasn't ready to stop."

"No? What exactly did you want to do?" Narcissa smirks.

"This." Hermione breathes out as she slams their lips together and pushes Narcissa towards the bed. They fall onto the soft mattress and Hermione quickly moves to straddle the witch, running her hands over every inch of skin she can find.

Narcissa has other ideas however as she flips them so she is on top and positioned between Hermione's legs. Her lips latch onto Hermione's neck and her hands run under her shirt, exploring her flat torso. Hands lightly brush Hermione's breasts and she gasps at the contact.

Narcissa nips and bites at Hermione's skin, slowly moving down her body, eliciting soft moans from the brunette.

Hermione pushes Narcissa up slightly and the blonde gives her a look of confusion that immediately turns to a mix of hurt and regret. She speaks quickly, trying to mask her pain at being rejected. "Hermione I'm sorry… I shouldn't have moved so fast… I don't-" Hermione silences her with a quick kiss as she leans upwards, reaching down to pull her shirt over her head.

She pulls Narcissa back down into another passionate kiss, "I wasn't complaining." She mutters against the blondes lips.

Narcissa smiles and continues her assault on the brunette's skin, her hands lightly trail up Hermione's ribcage. Sending shivers through the young witch, and she can feel the heat start to pool at the apex of her thighs.

Hermione's hands thread through soft blonde hair as the other witch reaches her navel. The blonde lets one hand travel down the young witches torso, reaching her hip and squeezing lightly. She hears Hermione's ragged breathing above her and her fingers dance at the soft skin of the brunette's hipbone.

She makes her way back up Hermione's body, kissing her fiercely as she works to unbutton the young witches jeans. A small hand stops her though, just as she manages to unzip them and start to work them off the witch below her.

"Wait." Hermione's breathless voice stops her from going further. Thin fingers wrap gently around her wrist and she pulls her hand away, sitting up, suddenly aware of what she's doing. She leaps off the bed and stares at Hermione in horror.

"Oh my god." Hermione can hear the panic in Narcissa's voice as she continues, and she moves to stand in front of her, tears well up in the blondes eyes, "Hermione I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me. I wasn't thinking, I shouldn't have… I didn't… Oh no…" She trails off, _how could I do this to her? She told me what her father did to her, and here I am taking advantage of her, I'm no better than he is._

Narcissa turns to go into the en suite bathroom when Hermione catches her wrist and spins her around, pulling them together.

"It's okay Narcissa, you didn't do anything wrong," the blonde opens her mouth to protest but Hermione keeps going, "this has nothing to do with him. I want this, I do. Trust me, I want it more than you realize, but I don't want to rush into anything. I don't want to ruin whatever this is. I feel different with you Cissy, and I don't want to mess this up." Narcissa smiles at the nickname and Hermione pulls her closer.

"I still should have made sure it was alright though. I just assumed… and…"

"Stop that, I stopped it because if we had gone further I wouldn't have been able to stop, and I don't want to rush into this. I rushed it with…" she trails off, not wanting to talk about Draco.

"With Draco?" Hermione nods and looks away. "It's okay Hermione, I knew, that night when I walked in on the two of you. I knew it was going to happen then, and it will happen again. You're going to be married after all."

"But… he's your son. I don't want you to resent me because I was with him."

"I won't resent you Hermione."

"You don't know that, once we're married we'll have to and…" Narcissa stops her with a kiss.

"I know," she whispers, "I know you will, and I'll let you choose. Once you're married, if you don't want to be with me anymore I'll understand. But Hermione, I want you… even if I have to share you."

Hermione searches her eyes for any sign of doubt, when she doesn't see any, she pulls her closer and buries her nose in the crook of her neck. "Can we just go to sleep?"

Narcissa nods and pulls her onto the bed, hugging her closer. They lay there like that for awhile, legs tangled together, holding each other like their lives depend on it. Narcissa kisses Hermione's forehead and breaks the silence, "Hermione?" She whispers, seeing if the young brunette is still awake.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going shopping tomorrow… would you like to come? We could get lunch or, whatever you'd want to do. If you don't want to I understand, it's just an idea."

Hermione looks up to the blonde and grins, "Get lunch? Like a date?"

Narcissa blushes, "I understand if you'd rather stay here I just…"

Hermione laughs, cutting Narcissa off, "Of course I want to go with you tomorrow! It'll be fun, besides I'd prefer not to run into my father. Spending my day with you is a happy alternative." She winks, making the blonde blush lightly.

"Great!" Narcissa smiles, "It's settled. We're going to have a long day tomorrow, we should get some sleep." Hermione nods and lays her head back down.

 _I have a date with my fiancée's mother tomorrow, what is my life coming to?_

 **What am I doing with my life? I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this story, and suddenly I just changed the whole game. I already knew they would have some type of relationship, because I love this pairing so much but... then it just escalated so quickly. Oh well, its too late now I guess.**

 **If you think this isn't really going anywhere, don't worry I have something quite interesting planned for the somewhat near future. Well, kinda near, but its coming, don't worry. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

 **One last thing, I am thinking of starting another story that is purely cissamione, it would have a completely different storyline and it would be a lot more of a slow burn but I really want to do it. So do you think I should? How many of you would read something like that? Just let me know, because it could happen.**

 **As always, let me know any way you think I could improve this story and let me know what you think of it so far. Review! :)**


	6. I'm sorry guys not a chapter

Hey, I'm so sorry it is taking so long for the next update. I have the chapter finished but every time I try to upload it, it gets deleted or just doesn't work. I'm really not sure what's going on but I'm trying to fix it. Once again I'm really sorry it's been a struggle. I hate filled chapters so much because a it's disappointing when you think you're getting another chapter then it's kinda just like… ha! You thought. :( well anyway I'm sorry and I feel bad so I'm just gonna say that in the next chapter you can expect to see Harry and Ron, some development with Hermione and Narcissa and a little development with Hermione and draco. Yeah, I'm reaaaalllyyy sorry about this filler chapter but I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as possible.


	7. Chapter 6 part1

**Discaimer: I own nothing**.

 **Okay I'm really sorry for the long wait, my computer hates my guts.**

 **May 25, 2010 8:23 am**

 **(Narcissa's en suite)**

 _Okay Granger, what to wear? Something simple, don't look like you're trying too hard. Shorts and a t-shirt with converse? Nope, too casual. Black dress with cutout back and heels? Ugh, no, not casual enough! Okay, think Granger. Ripped jeans, heels, and a graphic tee with a flannel? Yes, let's go with that._

She conjures a pair of high waisted ripped light-wash jeans, a pair of black heels, a dark green and black flannel, and a white t-shirt that says _'I put the hot in psychotic'_ inside a text bubble.

Pulling on the jeans she rolls the bottoms up to make them into capris. She slips on the tee, tucking it into her jeans and puts the flannel on top, leaving it unbuttoned. She steps into the six inch black suede platform heels, clasping the ankle straps. She assesses her appearance in the full length mirror and smiles. _Great, not too fancy but not quite casual either. Plus my arse looks fantastic on these jeans. Now for my hair and makeup._

She quickly styles her long hair into pigtail dutch braids that reach past her chest. She performs a few makeup charms, giving herself an almost airbrushed look that doesn't cover her freckles, with dark smoky eyes that accent the little gold flecks in her hazel eyes. She applies a dark plum matte lipstick and exits the en suite bathroom.

Narcissa is still asleep, with her face buried under a pillow and her limbs splayed in all directions. Hermione bites her lip, smiling at the sight of the prim and proper woman spread out on the bed.

She gently shakes the blonde awake, much to her disapproval.

"Wake up, I have a surprise for you."

"Aargh, but it's so early." She drags out the last word in a whiny voice and Hermione has to stop herself from laughing at the childlike antics of the woman.

"Come on, you'll like it. I promise." She whispers against the shell of the blondes ear and the older woman sighs in defeat.

"Okay, but this better be good." She slowly sits up in the bed, yawning before looking up to the brunette.

Her jaw drops. _Holy shit._ "Er…" She swallows heavily, licking her lips, "Is this my surprise?"

Hermione laughs, "No. Now get up, you need to get dressed. I'm taking you out."

Narcissa quickly shuffles out of bed, looking through her robes, only to be stopped by Hermione.

"No, you can't wear anything in here."

"Why not? What's wrong with my clothes?" She asks, slightly offended.

"There's nothing wrong with your clothes." She fights back a laugh, "But fancy Wizarding robes aren't exactly the 'norm' in muggle London."

Narcissa's nose scrunches at that, "Muggle London? Why are we going to muggle London?" Her voice is laced with disgust and Hermione frowns, her eyebrows furrowing in disappointment.

"Well." She says, shutting herself down, "If you don't want to go… I just wanted to show you something I thought you would enjoy, but obviously I was mistaken. I shouldn't have assumed you would be so open to that idea." Hermione struggles to keep the pain out of her voice, it hurt that Narcissa was so opposed to the idea of going into muggle London.

Narcissa detects Hermione's hurt though and her heart clenches, "Hermione it's just that-"

"-No, you're right, that was stupid of me. I'll just change then… lets go shopping." She pushes the pain out of her voice and turns to leave the large closet.

Narcissa follows her out of the closet, "Hermione, wait! I didn't mean-" She grabs onto her wrist but the brunette tugs her hand away.

"-What? What didn't you mean?" _Don't cry, do not cry! Why is this upsetting you so much Granger? What did you expect? That she would suddenly be open to the idea of interacting with muggles? "_ You didn't mean that you think muggles are beneath you? That they're less than you? God! Of you're going to say something, don't back down on it just because it upsets me! Say it! Just say it! Tell me what you really think! Be honest, or if you won't say it at least keep the disgust out of your voice!"

"Hermione… I'm sorry I just…" She takes a step towards her and Hermione puts her hands up to stop the blonde from coming closer.

"Don't. Just don't. I just wanted to do something nice for you… for us, but it was my mistake. I'm sorry, we'll just go shopping."

"Please Hermione," Her voice cracks, "I'm sorry, I just… I was raised to think that. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

"You're not. That's just it Narcissa. What you just said… you said you didn't mean to upset me, you didn't say you didn't think they were beneath you. You didn't deny any of my accusations. It's not an apology if it isn't sincere Narcissa."

"No, please I _am_ sorry, I don't want you to think-"

"Well I do think that. I think the only reason you've been so nice to me is because suddenly I am actually a pureblood-"

"-No no, Hermione I don't-"

"-Let me finish…" She pushes her sleeve up past her forearm to expose her scars, "Do you see this word? That was my life, a _mudblood_. How would you act towards me if that was still who I was? If my parents really were muggles? Be honest I want to know."

"Hermione please…" Tears well in the blue eyes and she reaches out for the young witch.

Hermione takes a step back, avoiding the blondes hands, tears threatening to fall. "Exactly."

"No! No Hermione wait, please! I'm sorry! Let's go to muggle London, I'll go with you. I'm sorry!"

"No, I don't want you to go just because you feel guilty. You don't understand Narcissa. That's where I was raised, with muggles, everything was muggle." She can't hold them back anymore and the tears roll down her cheeks. "These scars, that's who I was. And I'm not ashamed of it, in fact, part of me wishes I still was. Because I was _proud_ of it! I was the brightest witch of my age! And I was muggle-born! I fought death eaters and won, I surprised everyone because I was the muggle-born, I was the filthy _mudblood_ that exceeded everyone's expectations. I got the top marks in all of my classes and I always got O's! But now? Now I'm just another pureblood, and I'm ashamed because now I'm not so special. I'm just average by pureblood standards. So if I was still muggle-born how would you treat me? Would you still kiss me the way you did last night? Or would you turn your nose up at me because you couldn't fathom touching someone as filthy as me?! Huh? What would you- umph!" Suddenly Narcissa's lips crash into hers, effectively shutting her up.

Hermione freezes and contemplates pushing her away, but Narcissa is insistent and soon she is kissing her back fiercely, angrily.

Narcissa pushes her backwards until she lands on the bed with a thud and grips her wrist hard. She presses hot, wet kisses to the scars, and looks up into Hermione's eyes "Hermione, even if you weren't who you are now, I would still do this, because I don't care about this title." She holds Hermione's wrist up, indicating to the word.

"I would still do this." She pushes the flannel off Hermione's shoulders, discarding it off the side of the bed. "And this," she untucks Hermione's shirt and presses kisses along the top of her jeans, which reach a couple inches above her hips. "And this," she trails her hands under Hermione's shirt, running them over the swells of the younger witches breasts. Hermione's breathing becomes heavy as Narcissa palms her through her bra. "And this," she unbuttons the three buttons of Hermione's jeans and pulls the zipper down with her teeth, keeping eye contact the entire time.

She moves down to Hermione's feet, undoing the clasps and pulling the heels off, dropping them to the ground. "I would still do this," she pulls the jeans down creamy alabaster thighs, dropping them on top of the shoes. "And this… I would still do this." She places light kisses all the way up Hermione's legs, trailing her fingers along the insides of her thighs, eliciting a breathy moan and causing her to buck her hips. "Do you get it yet Hermione?" She can't respond, Narcissa looks up to see her eyes clenched shut and her hands fisting the sheets.

She moves back up Hermione's body until she reaches her lips. "Look at me." Hermione's eyes flutter open and she is surprised at the sincerity behind the blue eyes. "Do you understand?" Hermione nods quickly and Narcissa kisses her briefly, "Good." She whispers against her lips. The last of Hermione's anger fades away as she gets lost in the blonde.

Her lips are on Hermione's again and she can feel the hot tears reaching their tongues. Sweet and salty mingle as Hermione's tears join their passionate fight for dominance.

She pulls back slightly, meeting hazel orbs, "Hermione, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I know where you come from, and despite how I was raised I've always respected your power and passion to protect those you love. I'll admit I was prejudiced, and I don't think I can honestly say I'm not still, at least a little bit. But it's different. I don't care if you're pureblood, or muggle-born, or even if you didn't have magic at all, it doesn't matter. Not to me. What matters is that you are happy, and safe, I don't want to hurt you Hermione, I'm sorry."

She isn't prepared for what happens next, Hermione pulls her back down into a passionate kiss. "Thank you… Narcissa, thank you."

Narcissa kisses her again before pulling back and sitting up. _We aren't ready for anything more, we just need to take this slow._

Narcissasearches the soft eyes, "What is it Hermione? What's wrong?" Her thumb lightly brushes the younger witch's tears away. She leans down to pull the other witch into a hug, rolling them into their sides, so they are facing each other.

"I… I just need…" She trails off, contemplating.

"What do you need? Tell me.

"I need _you_ Narcissa."

"You have me dear." She breathes against soft skin, "I'm right here."

"No Cissy, I need you to be here. I need someone who won't leave me… everyone leaves me. Why do they always leave?" Her voice cracks again and Narcissa pulls her closer, gently wiping the tears away.

"Oh hermione, I'm so sorry. I'm here, I'm right here, I promise."

Narcissa holds her while the tears flow and Hermione curses herself for being so vulnerable recently. _Why can't I hold it together around her? I've never had a problem with this before!_

"Come on," Narcissa grabs Hermione's hand and pulls her off the bed so she is standing in her arms, "let's get out of here."

Hermione's eyebrows furrow in confusion as she pulls back, "Where are we going?"

"Well I don't know it's _your_ surprise!" She teases and Hermione breaks into a huge smile.

"Really? You'll go with me?" She asks hopefully.

Narcissa smiles and kisses her cheek, "Yeah Hermione, I'll go with you." Hermione's smile gets even wider as she pulls the blonde into her. "But I don't have any muggle clothes so-"

"-You'll just have to wear mine then!" Hermione interrupts, not even trying to contain her excitement. "Come on I want to pick out what you wear!"

Hermione pulls her jeans back on, tucking in her shirt and buttoning her pants. Then she steps into her heels fastening the clasps and pulling on her flannel before pulling Narcissa into the en suite.

She conjures a trunk into existence and flings the top open.

"Well, come here." Hermione insists as she beckons Narcissa by waving her hand towards herself.

Narcissa reluctantly makes her way to Hermione and peers into the trunk.

Hermione's holds up shirt after shirt, throwing them aside one by one as she shakes her head and mutters thing like…'

 _No.' 'Absolutely not!' 'Nope.' 'Why do I even own this?' 'Oh my god. Where did I find this?'_

Hermione pulls out a black tee and bursts out laughing, "Oh my god, you are _so_ wearing this." She keeps laughing and Narcissa begins to get nervous. She holds it up against her chest and nods approvingly, "Yep, this is the one."

Narcissa looks down at the shirt and scrunches her nose in confusion. "' _This is my dressy tee'?_ What's so funny about that?"

"Well… because you're always so proper and dressed up and… this is just a t-shirt and…" she notices the look of confusion hasn't gone away and shakes her head, "Never mind."

"Hermione are you sure I should wear something so informal? What if we run into someone we know?" Hermione can tell Narcissa is nervous and hands her the shirt.

"Trust me, no one will recognize you, we won't be in Wizarding London for awhile anyway. We can change before we go shopping, I promise."

Narcissa nods reluctantly, "Alright."

Hermione hands her a pair of dark wash jeans that are faded along the thighs and knees, and a pair of five inch, velvet, black lace up booties.

"Try that on and we'll see how it looks." Hermione exits the en suite to give her some privacy.

A few minutes later Narcissa walks out and Hermione jumps up.

"Wow." She is surprised at how well she pulls off the muggle clothing and smiles.

"You look amazing." She bites her lip, thinking.

Hermione walks forward to meet the other witch and sinks to her knees, Narcissa's eyes follow her the whole way. Slowly she rolls up the pant legs until they reach Narcissa's mid calf and stands back up.

She notices Narcissa's hair is tied neatly into a french roll and rolls her eyes.

"What?"

Hermione sighs and slowly pulls her hair out of the neat updo.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Changing your hair, it's too formal." Narcissa frowns, "We're going somewhere informal so you don't need to look all prim and proper right now." She teases.

Narcissa pouts slightly at that but sighs in resignation, "Fine."

Hermione restyles her long hair into big bouncy curls and steps back to admire her work.

"You know I'd never really picture you to be in jeans and a t-shirt with your hair down and curled, but I quite like this look on you." Hermione says, dragging her eyes across Narcissa's form.

Narcissa steps back to look at herself in the full length mirror and frowns. "Hermione… I look so…"

"Normal?" Hermione teases and Narcissa frowns again.

"No. Just… it's so different."

"You don't like it?" Hermione asks worried and Narcissa shakes her head quickly.

"No it's not that I don't like it I just… what if someone sees us? Then what? What would they say?"

Hermione sighs and walks up behind the blonde witch, lightly wrapping her arms around her waist, and Narcissa instantly melts into the embrace. "No one will see us. I promise. There's nothing to worry about, and we'll be changed by the time we get back here so no one will even know we ever went to muggle London. It will be fine. Okay?"

Narcissa pauses for a moment before nodding and Hermione grins widely.

"Great! Let's go then!"

"Wait. What exactly are you taking me to do?" She asks suspiciously and Hermione grins again.

"We're going to see a movie."

"You never did explain to me what that was." Narcissa accuses and Hermione sighs.

"Well, you know all the talking portraits?" Narcissa nods for her to continue. "Okay so, in a way it may seem a little like that. Basically these people, called actors, get in front of a camera and they make movies. They shoot a scene and when they get a good take, the scene is put into the movie. Then once all the scenes have been completed they are put in chronological order and put on discs and shown in cinemas and whatnot. Basically it will be a white screen, but once the movie starts there will be moving pictures and there will be dialogue and it's like you're watching it happen right in front of you. Hence how it is like the portraits, but it's fictional and it's just a story. Some movies are based on real events but a lot of them aren't. So it's just a big motion picture, actually that's what they're called a lot of the time." Hermione finishes and Narcissa turns in her arms, staring at her, confused.

"So it's like looking into a pensieve?" Narcissa asks, trying to make sense of it.

"Kind of, I guess, except you aren't actually in the scene, but watching from the outside."

"Okay." Narcissa nods reluctantly. "Well, let's just go, I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Hermione grins, pulling them closer together and apparating into an abandoned alleyway behind the cinema. Hermione pulls back, grabbing Narcissa's hand and pulling her out of the alley.

When they turn the corner they see a sign that says 'CINEMA' in flashing yellow lights.

They pause outside the big double doors and Hermione turns to the blonde witch, "What kind of movie would you like to see, love." The term of endearment slips off her tongue without her noticing but it causes a smile to form on the blondes face.

"I don't know, what's good?" Narcissa asks, choosing not to mention Hermione's slip up.

"Well, we could see a comedy, or a romantic movie, or a cartoon, horror, thriller, action…" Hermione starts listing movie genres and Narcissa puts up a hand to stop her.

"You pick. I've never been to one of these before, and you know what to expect."

"Alright." Hermione agrees, "Well, let's see what's showing."

She takes Narcissa's hand again and they walk into the cinema and Hermione studies the list of movies playing.

"So, I've heard that a lot of these movies are good, let's pick one. There's, 'When In Rome' which is supposed to be pretty funny, or 'The Switch' which is also a comedy. Hmm, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' that's a horror, or 'The King's Speech' which is a biography but I've heard it is a bit sad. Then there's 'Grown Ups' that's supposed to be really funny, or we could see an animation like 'Megamind' but that's really more of a kids movie." She finished listing a few of the movies and watched as Narcissa made her decisions.

"Well I don't really want to watch anything scary so that's out and I'd like to see something funny so maybe one of the comedies. Hmm, I'm thinking either 'When In Rome' or 'Grown Ups'." She says as she reads the movie descriptions.

"Well, I believe 'When In Rome' is a romantic comedy, so maybe that?" Hermione asks and Narcissa nods her approval. "Okay, we'll see that. Do you want popcorn?"

"Popcorn?" Narcissa repeats, confused as to what exactly that is.

Hermione grins at her confusion, "Yes, you want popcorn, we'll get Icees too."

Narcissa doesn't say anything, not really knowing what either of those things are.

Hermione quickly pays for their tickets and buys them a large popcorn and two Coca Cola Icees. She also buys some M&M's and chocolate covered peanuts, intent on making Narcissa try new things.

They arrive in the theatre almost too late so they don't see any commercials or ads, not that Hermione is complaining.

When the opening music starts playing, Narcissa nearly jumps out of her seat as she looks around for the source and Hermione barely contains her laughter. "It's okay, look it's coming from the speakers." She says as she points to speakers around the room.

"Oh my god, how did they get in there?!" Narcissa exclaims in a whisper when she sees the first people appear on screen.

"They aren't actually in there Narcissa, it's just recorded." She explains. The blonde nods but Hermione can tell she doesn't really understand the concept quite yet.

"Why are those people throwing money into the water? Isn't that a waste?" Narcissa asks when she sees people throwing coins into a fountain.

"It's a muggle thing. You throw your coin in the fountain and make a wish. It's supposed to make your wish come true but… you know, magic isn't at play here usually." Narcissa looks a little appalled by the idea of throwing perfectly good money into a fountain like that. It is one thing to spend a lot of money, but it is quite another to just throw it away, literally.

Slowly the blonde gets used to the odd sensation of watching a movie, and actually ends up enjoying it.

At some point their hands find each other and their fingers intertwine. Narcissa laughs along with the rest of the audience and Hermione can't help but think how beautiful she looks in that moment, so open and carefree.

Once the movie has ended they make their way out of the cinema and Narcissa quite uncharacteristically rambles on about the movie.

"Oh my gosh, Hermione that was so crazy. I've never experienced anything like that before. Well I mean sure I've looked into a pensieve but those people… they were in a screen. Or… they weren't really but that doesn't matter because that was just so cool. Who knew muggles could invent stuff like that? Do they have anything else we don't know about? How are they this far advanced to us?"

Hermione laughs at Narcissa's constant string of questions and comments about muggle technology.

"Alright alright… lets go get something to eat, then we can talk more about the wonders of muggle creations." Hermione says, still laughing lightly. She gives her a quick peck on the lips, much the the blondes surprise and they walk across the street, hand in hand.

 **Okay that was part 1 of chapter 6. I had to split it up to upload it.**


	8. Chapter 6 p2

**May 25, 2010 2:38 pm**

 **(Diagon Alley)**

Narcissa and Hermione walk along the sidewalk in Diagon Alley, now dressed in proper robes.

"Where did you want to go next Hermione?" Narcissa asks politely. She had enjoyed their time together earlier and not having to worry about people seeing them together. She wishes she could still hold Hermione's hand in public without being looked down upon for it.

"Umm, I was wanting to go to Flourish and Blott's, I'd like to get a new book, plus that place helps me relax." She says quietly and Narcissa nods.

"Alright, Flourish and Blott's it is then."

They walked slowly towards the small shop, lightly brushing their hands together when they got the chance. Narcissa felt like a teenager again, sneaking around in a forbidden relationship, and she was happy for the first time in years.

Narcissa could hardly keep a smile off her face and had a considerably harder time putting on her usual ice queen mask.

Other than the brief fight from that morning the day had been wonderful. They had gotten away from reality, even if it was just for a few hours. Narcissa had seen her first movie, and Hermione had taken her to a fast food restaurant called McDonalds. Which despite the fact that Narcissa knew it was not good for you, had actually been quite an enjoyable experience for her. She had been able to just hold the young witches hand in public without worrying about the consequences.

Narcissa had even been softly singing the words to the song 'Cherry Pie' since the movie had ended. Hermione had played the full song for her after they left the theatre and she had been singing it ever since.

Even now as they walked through Diagon Alley she could hear the blonde witch softly humming the song next to her.

To say the day had been amazing would be an understatement and Hermione could slowly feel her feelings for the blonde getting stronger and stronger.

She glanced at the blonde witch and caught her eyes, which were sparkling despite her efforts to make herself into the ice queen.

They were having such a good time and Hermione was sure nothing could have possibly spoiled that moment. She was wrong.

"Hermione!" She hears Ron's voice behind her and stops in her tracks. The voice is friendly, like he's just trying to get her attention but Hermione knows this can go nowhere but downhill.

 _Keep walking,_ she tells herself, _just pretend you didn't hear him,_ quickly she resumes walking with Narcissa close by.

"Hey, Mione' wait up!" He calls again and she sighs, closing her eyes slowly before turning around and smiling brightly at him, wearing the familiar mask for her friend.

"Ron!" She exclaims happily, "Fancy seeing you here, what's up?"

"Oh, Harry and I were just…" he trails off when he sees who Hermione is with and looks between them suspiciously. "Mione'? Are you okay?" He asks softly.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine Ron. Why wouldn't I be?" She asks innocently.

"Harry…" he calls out to his friend in a warning tone, catching the boys attention.

Harry quickly makes his way over to Ron, "Oh Hermione! We haven't seen you in forever, we should really catch up soon." He greets her, not yet realizing who she's with.

"Hermione, what's going on here? Why are you with her?" Ron asks suspiciously and Harry finally sees the blonde witch by his friend, his demeanor instantly changing.

"Hermione, come here, I think I have something you should see." Harry says gently, trying to get her away from the older witch.

"Harry please, let me explain…"

"Hermione get away from her, we'll protect you, don't worry." Ron says protectively, and it may have seemed sweet to Hermione, had he not been so completely wrong about what he assumed the situation was.

"Ron, I don't-"

"Oh Hermione, Ginny has been dying to see you! She's right over here, let's go say hi." Harry suggests again.

"Cissa…" she whispers, glancing at the blonde witch, who hasn't left her side.

"Hermione?" Harry questions her when he realizes she isn't making a move to come with him, "Hermione what's going on? Why are you with her?"

"It's a long story Harry, maybe we should go somewhere a little more private to talk about this." She suggests but Ron won't have it.

"No. Whatever this is we can settle it right here."

Hermione sighs heavily and glances at Narcissa again who gives her a reassuring smile, which goes unnoticed by the others.

Luckily for them the streets of Diagon Alley are pretty much abandoned, so Hermione pulls the two boys to the side and begins to tell them the whole story for the second time.

Narcissa stands at her side the entire time, receiving angry and threatening glances from the two boys.

"So, you're the pureblood witch that went missing at birth, and your parents were disowned because they wanted to live as muggles, not killed trying to protect you. And you're from the Gaunt and Selwyn family. But I still don't know why you're with her." Ron relays the basics of what Hermione has just told them.

Narcissa and Hermione share a knowing look as the two boys look between them suspiciously. Harry is being unusually quiet while Ron does all the talking.

"What? What's that look for?" Ron asks impatiently, watching the two witches.

Hermione sighs again and looks back to the boys, "I really think we should go somewhere more private." She insists locking eyes with Harry.

"What aren't you telling us Mione'?" The dark haired boy asks and Hermione bites her lip.

Suddenly she feels someone slip into her mind. The intrusion is unwelcome as the invader begins pushing through her memories.

 _Narcissa?_ She thinks, why would Narcissa be in my head right now.

 _Not_ _quite_. The intruder answers and she immediately recognizes Harry's voice.

 _What?!_ Suddenly her memories of Narcissa are coming to the surface and she pushes them away before he can see them. She pulls memories from her time at Hogwarts to the forefront of her mind, stalling him.

 _I'm sorry Mione' but you're evading everything we ask, and I've been getting a very strong sense of deja vu._

Hermione isn't very skilled in occlumency but she is learning. She tries to put up her shields but immediately knows they're too weak as they get knocked aside.

 _Stop it!_ She screams silently at him, pulling up painful memories to deter him. It doesn't work though and she can feel him getting closer to the truth, and worse, finding out about her and Narcissa.

"Get out of my head!" She suddenly screeches and Narcissa is by her side pulling her to face the blonde witch.

"Hermione? Hermione are you okay? What's wrong?" The worry is evident in her voice, surprising Ron but not deterring Harry in the slightest.

"Ahhh! No! Get out! Get out!" She screams again, but Harry keeps pushing. She sinks to the ground, her legs seemingly unable to hold her up under the pressure of Harry's prodding. She curls into the fetal position, her knees pressing to her chest.

She throws up shield after shield only to have them knocked down.

She pulls childhood memories up, to stall him before he sees her time at Malfoy Manor. She doesn't think about what exactly it is she is showing him.

Suddenly she pauses and her body stiffens before a look of terror takes over her features.

Harry pauses at that memory, confused at what is going on.

"No! No no no! Please! Stop!" Her hands clamp over her ears in an iron grip, trying to hide from the memory. Harry pulls out, realizing what it is he has just seen and looking at the brunette in horror.

Tears roll down the young witches face as she rocks back and forth and Narcissa crouches in front of her, pulling her into her arms.

"Why did you do that to her?!" She demands angrily as she glares at the boy.

"I… I don't know… Hermione I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"

"Harry? What did you do?" Ron asks worried.

"He used legilimency on her without thinking about the consequences!" Narcissa answers angrily, "You want to know the rest of the story so bad? Fine! Hermione is marrying Draco to save the lives of her family and mine. She would have told you anyway, there was no need for you to violate her like that!" Narcissa says angrily, still hugging the younger witch to her tightly.

"She's marrying Draco? Why would she do that?" Ron asks, his anger diminished slightly due to Hermione's current state.

"I just told you. To save her family and mine, she knows exactly what she's doing."

"But why would your lives be in danger in the first place?! This should not be happening!" Ron demands, his anger flaring again.

"The dark lord wanted to punish us, so he made her mother and I make an unbreakable vow. She has accepted it, and is willing to go through with the marriage to save all of our lives." She answers softly, cradling the brunette in her arms, rubbing her back as the girls grip stays on her ears.

"Punish you for what?"

"Does he really need a reason?" She asks harshly, "It doesn't really _matter_ anyway, it's done now."

"Hermione, Hermione are you okay?" Harry asks, bending down to her.

She mumbles something that none of them can make out and pushes closer to Narcissa.

"Shhh, it's okay… You're safe now…" she soothes the younger witch before turning to Harry.

"What did you see?" She asks softly, but the anger is still evident in her voice.

"I'm not entirely sure, I pulled back before I could see everything but… she was young. It was some kind of party, a birthday party probably. She seemed happy at first, then her dad was there and… well, he, um…"

"Oh no." Narcissa lifts Hermione's chin so she can meet her eyes only to find them clenched shut. "Hermione, look at me."

She shakes her head quickly and squeezes them tighter. "Come on Hermione, open your eyes." She shakes her head again and feels the pad of Narcissa's thumb softly wiping her tears away. "It's alright Hermione, look at me."

Slowly, watery hazel eyes meet hers and she frowns, "He's gone Hermione, he can't hurt you now. I won't let him."

Hermione nods slightly but doesn't release her grip. Narcissa's hands cover Hermione's and she gently pulls her hands away from her ears.

"Are you alright?" Hermione nods again but doesn't move away from the blonde. The two boys watch the scene before them in awe, _how is Hermione so comfortable with her?_

"Hermione, there has to be some way to get you out of this." Ron says hopefully.

"There isn't Ron." She answers brokenly.

"But… You can't marry Malfoy. You just can't!" His temper flares again and his voice raises.

"Well I don't have a _choice_ Ronald!" She yells back.

"But what about everything he did to you? This whole marriage obviously doesn't bother you too much, considering you're all buddy buddy with his mum!" He accuses.

"What?!" She demands, standing up suddenly, Narcissa moving with her, "You think I _want_ to marry Draco Malfoy?"

"Well you're out here with his mum, so maybe you do. Have you gone to their side?"

"Ron…" Harry leaves his meaning open in his warning, but Ron isn't deterred.

"I'm just saying, if she's running around with Narcissa Malfoy and marrying a death eater… what other explanation is there?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the one we gave you?" She says sarcastically, "I don't know about you Ronald but _I'd_ prefer _not_ to die!"

"Well, I'm sure if our roles were reversed _I'd_ at least be willing to sacrifice for the cause!" He snaps back.

She recoils at that and hurt crosses her face before it is replaced with steely resolve and she nods. "I see. Harry, I assume you feel the same way?" She turns her attention to the other boy, and a guilty look crosses his features but he remains silent. She nods again and Narcissa grips her arm gently.

"Well, I imagine I'll be seeing you around." She says bitterly and Ron pulls Harry away.

"Come on mate, let's get out of here."

"If you start to miss me…" she calls after them and they pause, Harry turns but Ron keeps his back to her. "Remember, I didn't walk away. You let me go."

"Hermione…" Harry whispers but is pulled away by Ron.

Hermione watches them disappear around the corner. Narcissa catches her as she falls, collapsing in a heap of limbs, clothes, and tears.

Narcissa pulls Hermione into her and apparates them back to the manor.

 **May 25, 2010 6:14 pm**

 **(Dining room)**

Hermione sits down at the table between Narcissa and Draco and everyone looks towards her. They immediately notice her puffy eyes and red cheeks, she's been crying.

"Are you okay?" Draco asks her softly, resting a hand on her arm. She flinches at the touch but doesn't pull away and looks into his eyes.

She searches his eyes and is surprised at the genuine concern she sees there. "Yes." She breathes, "I think we should talk though, after dinner."

He nods and rests his arm across the back of her chair, "What about?"

She spares a glance across the table at her parents and looks back to him, "Things. We'll talk after dinner." He nods again and rubs her shoulder.

Narcissa is surprised Hermione is being so receptive of Draco's soft touches. She feels a slight twinge of jealousy despite herself at the knowledge that Hermione will inevitably be his. _This is ridiculous,_ she tells herself, _you should never be jealous of your son._

"Why are you late?" Wendell asks roughly and Hermione glances at Narcissa but doesn't answer.

"Hermione Jean Granger, if everyone else can be on time to dinner, you can be too. It's rude and inconsiderate of you to keep everyone waiting."

"Well it's your own bloody fault!" She snaps suddenly, her head jerking towards him.

"What?!" He snaps back but she looks back at her plate and stares at a lone piece of corn that us fallen into her potatoes.

"You heard me." She mutters under her breath and moves a piece of meat around her plate with her fork.

He scoffs and goes back to eating, deciding to ignore his daughter.

Hermione doesn't say another word for the rest of dinner. She vaguely listens in on the other conversations but she stays silent.

"Hermione, maybe if you looked up from your food, and engaged yourself in conversation Draco would find you more desirable." Her head snaps up at that and Draco's expression turns to one of anger, but her father continues, "Oh please, don't act like we all haven't noticed that you don't sleep in the same room as him. I'm not sure where you've been sneaking off to but you certainly haven't been with your fiancé. Maybe it's because all you ever do is read and eat, it's not attractive. No wonder you've never had a boyfriend."

"Excuse me." She pushes her chair back, picks up her plate, and walks out of the room followed by Narcissa and Draco.

Draco stops at the door to the kitchens and turns back to face the table. "Just so we're clear Mr. Gaunt, I find Hermione very desirable. I'm not sure where she's been sleeping but I'm not going to force her to stay with me if she isn't comfortable yet. So perhaps the next time you have reason to taunt her you should at least say something that is factually correct." With that he turns back and enters the kitchens.

When he steps through the door he sees Hermione on the floor with her back pressed against the wall, her head in her hands. His mother crouches next to her, but Hermione isn't allowing herself to be comforted by her.

"Hermione I-" she starts and the brunettes head snaps up so they are eye to eye.

"NO! No! I can't stay with him anymore! I'm so… angry. All the time. And I try to hide it but… all I want to do is just…" she pauses, fighting some internal battle with herself before grabbing her plate off the ground and grunting as she hurls it across the room.

Narcissa and Draco flinch from the sudden action as the glass shatters against the wall and food is splattered across the floor.

Suddenly she stands up and grabs a plate from a stack on the counter, slamming it to the ground. She picks up another smashing it against the counter.

Suddenly it is like a switch has flipped and she picks up anything glass, throwing it against walls and smashing them to the ground. By the time she is finished the kitchen is destroyed and she slumps to the ground again.

The two blondes look at each other in shock, but their attention is pulled back to the young woman when they hear a sob escape her.

"I'm sorry about your kitchen." She says guiltily.

"It's fine Hermione. The elves will take care of it." She pauses, "I'll leave the two of you alone, I think you need to talk about some things." With that Narcissa leaves the two teens to talk.

"I'm sorry." She mutters, looking up at him.

"For what?"

"I've been avoiding you… After that first night I just… We shouldn't have done that Draco. It was too soon, I don't even know what compelled me to do it. It just… we should have waited. You don't know anything about me really and I was upset. I was upset and I let myself act rashly, and now I realize that I shouldn't have. Because I'm still angry at you, for what happened at school. I know it's in the past but I just can't let it go that easily and I just can't do it again. Not until we know each other better. So I'm still not going to stay with you, but I'd like to try, because we're going to be married. So we should at least be civil."

Draco is slightly hurt by her confession, but he understands where she's coming from. "Okay, I understand, and I won't push you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. There is something you should know though… Err, your parents, they kind of… well…" he stutters, afraid of her reaction.

"What?"

A guilty expression crosses his face and he looks down, rubbing his hands together nervously. "They slipped a lust potion into your drink so that we would sleep together that night. I found out last night at dinner, I'm sorry. That's why you were so ready to sleep with me that night. But I want you to know, that if I had known then that they had done that, I wouldn't have slept with you." He explains quickly, looking at the ground guiltily.

She doesn't say anything and he looks up at the silence.

Slowly, she stands and walks towards the door Narcissa exited from.

"I'm sorry Hermione." He calls after her but she just keeps walking.

 **May 25, 2010 8:26 pm**

 **(Narcissa's room)**

The door opens slowly and she looks up to see Hermione walk in and close the door behind her, pressing her back against the wood.

"You're here." It isn't a question but Hermione nods anyway, "I almost didn't think you would come."

Slowly, Hermione walks towards the bed where Narcissa had been reading and stops at the edge. She looks down at the blonde, silently asking permission and Narcissa extends her arm. Hermione crawls onto the bed then, curling up next to her and resting her head against her chest.

Hermione looks up and Narcissa tilts her head to capture the brunettes lips. The kiss is soft at first before Hermione deepens it and moves to straddle the blonde. She pushes up the silk nightgown and trails her hands across smooth skin.

Narcissa's breathing quickens when her hands reach her breasts, but she stops them. She grips Hermione's wrists gently and pulls them away. "What happened?" She asks softly and Hermione's eyes fill with tears. She falls forward as a sob escapes her and buries her nose in Narcissa's hair.

"The only reason I slept with Draco is because my parents slipped me a lust potion. Am I ever going to get to sleep with someone of my own choosing?" She asks through her tears.

"Oh Hermione, of course you will. I'm sorry." She pulls the younger witch closer to her and with a flick of her wand, changes her into a silky creme colored slip. "Go to sleep Hermione, you need rest."

Hermione rolls off of her and curls into her side again.

They lay like that for a few minutes before Hermione breaks the silence again. "Narcissa?" She whispers, checking that the blonde is awake.

"Hmm?"

"Is there any chance… is it possible that he… got me pregnant?" She asks timidly and Narcissa sits up suddenly, looking at Hermione with slight shock.

"You think you're pregnant?" She can see the worry in Hermione's eyes as she asks that question.

"No… but I want to know if it's possible… I don't want to have a baby formed by the effects of a lust potion."

"It is… possible." Narcissa says sadly and she sees the breaking look on Hermione's face. "Would you like me to check?"

Hermione nods slightly and closes her eyes as Narcissa pulls out her wand, muttering a few diagnostic spells.

"Hermione…"

 **Oh my, once again I apologize for the late update my computer hates me and I was having so much trouble uploading anything. I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker. This won't be the last of Harry and Ron, and there is another character who will be showing up soon. But I'm not gonna tell you who it is ;) Anyway, let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is so so welcome. R &R**


End file.
